Roots and stumps that lay inundated for two millennia are on display in Japan's city of three mysteries.

An abandoned Art Deco hotel nestled on the side of a wooded mountain.

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.

This mountain's identity is stuck somewhere between a nightmare and a scenic tourist attraction.

A network of sandy streets lined with verdant fukugi trees weaves throughout this tiny seaside town.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

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

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.

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.

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

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

Be a ninja - or just act like one.

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

Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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