The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

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

This little town supplies Japan with most of its calligraphy brushes, still made by hand from animal fur.

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

This little known mountain has claimed four times as many lives as Everest.

"Singing sands" and the world's largest hourglass reside near Japan's Kotogahama beach.

This exacting restaurant will charge a fine for every grain of rice you've left behind.

This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.

Modern Japanese museum is buried by snow annually.

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

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

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.

This high-design church is made up of two dizzying spirals meant to evoke the weaving together of marriage.

Make your own fake treats at this factory and workshop in the epicenter of Japan's food replica industry.

A massive wintry wall of snow up to 66 feet tall flanks a highway through Japan's mountains.

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

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."

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

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

The freshest fish here are the ones you catch yourself.