Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.

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

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.

It's bad manners to eat and drink on the subways of Tokyo, unless the train is this bar. 

A network of sandy streets lined with verdant fukugi trees weaves throughout this tiny seaside town.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Japanese national treasure originally built in 593 CE.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

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

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

Hanging over one of Japan's "hidden valleys," these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired Princess Mononoke.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

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

A sculptor's dream castle turned fantastical ruin.

A 120-year-old legend concerning an empty circular patch in the North Carolina woods.