This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

This frescoed ancient burial mound is a colorful window into China’s influence in early Japan.

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

Perhaps the world's cheapest vending machines.

Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

People from around the world visit the shrine of Japan’s legendarily loyal dog.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.

It is believed that this Buddhist temple stands right on the gateway to the underworld.

The “bridge of return” is haunted by a myriad of legends, from ghosts to demons to nuptial superstitions.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

Drink and learn at this striking ode to coffee culture and history.

This former monastery in Vietnam now houses a chocolate shop and museum filled with centuries-old taxidermy specimens.

A sculpture park that takes the use of clay to a whole new level.