This might be the weirdest thing we didn't get to see in Japan - and in a country with robot restaurants and maid cafes, that's saying something! We're talking about a 1,400-year-old mummified "mermaid" that looks nothing like Ariel. Instead, it's this creepy, mysterious creature that's been carefully preserved by Shinto priests near Mount Fuji.

The story behind it is wild - apparently it's connected to some tale about a transformed fisherman looking for redemption. While Western mermaids are all about beauty and romance, this Japanese version is deliberately unsettling, meant to serve as some kind of warning rather than a fairytale.

For anyone who can make it to Fujinomiya: this seems like one of those uniquely Japanese experiences where folklore, religion, and the bizarre all mix together into something fascinating. Let us know if it's as creepy in person as it looks in photos!