A harrowing trail up a mile-high mountain.

A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

A gorgeous, nostalgic café housed in a lofty old warehouse, lit only by petroleum lamps.

This abandoned railroad got a new life as a scenic promenade cutting through the city of Otaru.

This dazzling three-story shop showcases the art and history of music boxes, a popular novelty in Japan.

An eccentric inventor's castle home with its own indoor weather system.

A total of 999 stairs lead visitors through a massive hole in a mountain known as the Gateway to Heaven.

The world's largest statue of Mao Zedong looks out over the city where he discovered Communism.

The latest in a series of long glass bridges suspended at terrifying heights.

The world’s tallest outdoor lift stretches along the stone pillars that inspired the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”

This vertical pinnacle in China was the inspiration for the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”

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

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

For more than 50 years, an iconic sign has greeted visiting “fudgies” to the Traverse City area.

A humble ode to the heroic air rescue efforts of the United States Coast Guard serving on the Great Lakes.

This tree was warped centuries ago to serve as a botanical wayfaring tool.