A culturally significant rural temple in the beautiful mountains of Itoshima.

A train station decorated by a giant replica of an ancient Shakōki-dogū figurine.

The birthplace of Japanese coinage.

These tiny pine-covered islands have inspired art and poetry for centuries.

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

Nope, not the one in France. The only officially-recognized reproduction of Monet’s garden in Giverny is located in a remote corner of Japan.

Its collection distills more than 60 years of pop culture in Japan, from Godzilla to Hulk Hogan.

This amusement park brings a little slice of England to the heart of Kyushu.

Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.

Japan's longest-running music festival takes place on an isolated butterfly-shaped island.

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

Mythical beasts symbolizing the city of Tokyo guard a historic bridge.

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

Tell this pair of "love-inviting" cats in Ginza your romantic hopes.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

The train engine is tucked under an apartment building on a quiet Tokyo street.

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

Fans line up at the crack of dawn for a slurpy bowl of deliciousness at this noodle counter inside a factory.

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.