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

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

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

A Japanese cat island also populated by the descendants of a band of banished samurai.

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

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

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

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

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

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

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

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

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

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

The world’s first hotel to be run by robots.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

A Japanese corporation has turned this small island town into living modern art gallery.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.