Founded over a thousand years ago, this shrine is said to be built on the site of a warlord's harem prison.

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000 year old wood at this peaceful site.

This active volcano's siren song to suicide jumpers forced authorities to build a fence.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

White beach sands made of the remains of tiny, star shaped creatures.

These Japanese gardens are blankets of light for dark winter nights.

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

The world's largest drain sits below the city of Kasukabe, Japan.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

A rare festival blending religion, blacksmiths, vagina dentata, sex workers, and the straight-up facts of life.

We heard you like volcanoes so we put a volcano in your volcano so you can die for sure...

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

Japan's largest area of "pink moss" turns the hillside bright pink every spring.

The world’s first hotel to be run by robots.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

Cherry blossom season comes early in this Japanese town where pink flowers line the streets and riverbanks.

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

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.