One Of Osaka’s Most Popular Tourist Attractions Is… A Garbage Plant?

Beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, like libraries, suburban streets and, now, actual garbage plants.

At first glance, the Maishima Incineration Plant in Osaka, Japan, is pretty impressive, so it’s no wonder thousands of visitors mistake it for something a little more, er, magical every year. But don’t let the bright colours or 120m-tall golden chimney fool you – inside, there’s nothing but tonnes and tonnes of garbage.

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The incinerator plant’s eccentric design draws inspiration from the work of Austrian artist and environmental protectionist Friedensreich Hundertwasse. The local Japanese government requested a design that included “a fusion of technology, environment and art,” Asahi Shimbun reports.

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Philadelphia Is The Art Capital Giving Paris A Run For Its Money

Over 12,000 visitors visit the garbage plant each year — most of them by mistake, thinking it’s the nearby Universal Studios.

Sure, you won’t find any rollercoasters and it might not smell as good, but, if you stay all day, you will have watched more than 900 tonnes of garbage be processed and, I mean, that’s pretty cool.