This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

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

Tragic reminders of the 1945 firebombing campaign over Tokyo still haunt this bridge.

Haunted house kitsch meets Japanese folklore at this theme bar where patrons can “die” and have their own mock funeral.

A tiny cafe that recreates the Japanese elementary school lunch experience.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

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

A flight of this "ghost staircase" has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

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

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

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

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

We heard you like volcanoes so we put a volcano in your volcano so you can die for sure...

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

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