The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

These Japanese ruins have been brought back to life with elaborately recreated buildings.

A small Japanese village claims to be the final resting place of the son of God (and God's other son's ear).

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

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

The self-mummified monks of Japan.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

At a Japanese train station, a goddess emerges from a dumpling.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired Princess Mononoke.

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

Though technically an illegal structure, this eclectic DIY apartment complex is beloved by its residents.

Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

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

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.

A Japanese corporation has turned this small island town into living modern art gallery.

A remote and slightly overgrown park filled with replicas of world landmarks.

A thick blanket of beautiful pampas grass cloaks this unique Japanese landscape.

Shells collected from over a hundred different countries line the walls, floors and ceilings of this fantasy museum.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.