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 Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

A cool dive bar, off the beaten track.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

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

Oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.

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

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

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

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

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.

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

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

This ancient temple is set up to take you on a pilgrimage of self.

The only thing sweeter than the potatoes is the canine proprietor of this roadside stall.

A Catholicism-themed restaurant where sacrilege is on the menu.

This pair of small sea rocks has been "wed" using rope and ancient Shinto tradition.

Shells collected from over a hundred different countries line the walls, floors and ceilings of this fantasy museum.

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.