Birthplace of the Tendai sect and home to the marathon monks.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

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

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

This excellent museum recreates the boom days of the herring rush in the "Atlantic Klondike."

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.

Largest private bird collection in Iceland, formed from a tragic accident.

This hobbit-y little hot spring may be the oldest spring used by humans in all of Iceland.

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

Staves, storm-calling, and of course, necropants.

The most powerful waterfall in all of Europe.

This tumultuous Icelandic lava field looks so alien European researchers want to use it as a stand-in for Mars.

These ominous lava formations were said to be an entrance to the netherworld so of course they inspired a famous metal band.

A sulfuric martian landscape that looks far better than it smells.

Outlaws, hot springs, and tragedy have all left their mark on this ancient road in the Icelandic highlands.