hardwire75's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Kyoto, Japan

Tenryu-Ji Shrine's Bamboo Trail

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.
Kyoto, Japan

Okochi Sanso Gardens

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

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

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.
Kyoto, Japan

Starbucks Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.
Kyoto, Japan

Kameya Kiyonaga

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."
Kyoto, Japan

Ichiriki

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.
Kyoto, Japan

Ryōan-ji

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

Forest of Seven Lucky Gods

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000 year old wood at this peaceful site.
Shirakawa-mura, Japan

Shirakawa-go

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.
Hida, Japan

Super-Kamiokande

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.
Namerikawa, Japan

The Firefly Squid of Toyama Bay

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port.
Toyama, Japan

Fureai Sekibutsu no Sato (Village of Statues)

This abandoned park is home to hundreds of stone statues ranging from humans to mystical beings.
Kanazawa, Japan

Myouryuji (Ninja Temple)

Although it has never been a secret ninja base, this shrine still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.
Puerto de Mazarrón, Spain

Erosiones de Bolnuevo

An enchanting landscape of ancient sandstone structures eroded into otherworldly shapes.
Pulpí, Spain

Geoda de Pulpí (Pulpí Geode)

Peek into a cave of giant, glimmering crystals.
Casabermeja, Spain

Millennial Olive of Arroyo Carnicero

This surreal-looking tree pruned more than 1,000 years ago is still producing olives for oil.
Antequera, Spain

Torcal de Antequera

Rare karst landscape eroded from a flat seabed.
Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain

Setenil De Las Bodegas

A Spanish town built into the cliffs.
Ronda, Spain

Puente Nuevo

One of the most spectacular bridges in Spain spans a narrow chasm that divides the city of Ronda.
Ronda, Spain

Ronda, Spain

Three bridges and one giant canyon make up this fantastic Spanish settlement.
Granada, Spain

Muslim Gravestones of the Alhambra

Spanish architects used seized Muslim gravestones to rebuild parts of the fortress.
Córdoba, Spain

Estrella de los Deseos (Wishing Star)

Touching this little fossil embedded in the wall of a grand mosque-cathedral may make your wishes come true.
Córdoba, Spain

Cross of the Captive

A curious carving hides on a marble column in the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.