A museum in Hokkaido is housed in a former high school. On its grounds a marker shares the awakening of a man who longs to be reunited with his soulmate in the fictional world of Kcymaerxthaere.

This ordinary set of steps is a must-see destination for fans of a certain romantic anime.

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

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

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

This enormous "shamoji" means more to the people of Miyajima than just a way getting rice onto a plate.

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

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

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

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

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

The small candy-colored ride is the last rooftop Ferris wheel in Tokyo.

Ruins and statues dot the landscape of this tiny island rich with royal history.

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.

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

A thick blanket of beautiful pampas grass cloaks this unique Japanese landscape.

A sobering scientific reminder of the human damage caused by the advent of the nuclear age.

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.

One of the largest producers of MSG in the world welcomes visitors to its Kawasaki factory with an albino panda named Aji-Kun.

Roots and stumps that lay inundated for two millennia are on display in Japan's city of three mysteries.

An anthropological theme park that depicts the cultures of around 20 different countries.