A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

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

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

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

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.

This “peasant café” in the middle of Tokyo re-creates the atmosphere of the Japanese countryside.

This bridge is so steep it looks like a rollercoaster.

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

If you forgot something to read during your trip to Tokyo, this hostel has you covered.

"Singing sands" and the world's largest hourglass reside near Japan's Kotogahama beach.

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare to enter.

A Japanese train station built around a 700-year-old camphor tree.

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.

These Japanese gardens are blankets of light for dark winter nights.

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

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

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

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.

One of the first hotel rooms in a pod.

The only thing sweeter than the potatoes is the canine proprietor of this roadside stall.

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