Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

Sidle into a side alley for a taste of sumo wrestlers' traditional hot-pot soup, in a tiny restaurant founded by a former competitor.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

This ancient burial site was once thought to be the home of a race distinctive to Ainu folklore.

A deserted island in southwest Japan that once sheltered persecuted Christians.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

"Excuse me sir, your submarine is blocking my building."

A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

This incredible mountainside temple is home to intriguing statues of demon-like creatures.

Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

Birthplace of the Tendai sect and home to the marathon monks.

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.

One of the bloodiest and most important battles in Japanese history is recreated with kitschy concrete statues.

The world's longest tunnel with an undersea section.

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare to enter.

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.

This “peasant café” in the middle of Tokyo re-creates the atmosphere of the Japanese countryside.