Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.

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

A tiny collection of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, open only when the owner feels like it.

Famously misunderstood wonder of the ancient world

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

The small peaceful island off the Venice tourist circuit is where the city began more than 1,500 years ago.

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

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

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.