A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

This beautiful defunct water tower adds a European flair to a traditional Japanese neighborhood.

This incredible mountainside temple is home to intriguing statues of demon-like creatures.

A deserted island in southwest Japan that once sheltered persecuted Christians.

People from around the world visit the shrine of Japan’s legendarily loyal dog.

The cemetery houses the remains of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, one of Japan's most famous novelists.

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.

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.

This tiny museum hidden above a restaurant houses thousands of modern and traditional kites.

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

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

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

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

An abandoned Art Deco hotel nestled on the side of a wooded mountain.

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

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