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

This active volcano's siren song to suicide jumpers forced authorities to build a fence.

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

Historical Japanese-Dutch relations are honored with haunted rides and flower fields in this replica town.

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

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

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

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

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

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

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

The world's largest drain sits below the city of Kasukabe, Japan.

A disconnected rotary phone for "calling" lost loved ones offered a unique way of dealing with grief in disaster-stricken Japan.

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

Japan's largest area of "pink moss" turns the hillside bright pink every spring.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

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

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

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

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

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

Cherry blossom season comes early in this Japanese town where pink flowers line the streets and riverbanks.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.