Only a few pieces remain of a grand 16th-century water clock that once announced the changing hours with the sound of bells, gongs, and drums.

A unique structure located on the grounds of one of five grand palaces that were built by the Joseon dynasty.

Home to more than 13,000 pieces of war memorabilia and military equipment.

One of only a handful of seaside temples in Korea, this sacred space is home to a legendary healing Buddha statue and a traffic safety prayer pagoda.

The 400-year-old remains of the samurai invasion of Korea.

The former site of Fukuoka’s legendary ramen joint works hard to guide customers to the “original” original.

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

Japanese national treasure originally built in 593 CE.

This exacting restaurant will charge a fine for every grain of rice you've left behind.

An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”

The world's longest tunnel with an undersea section.

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

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.

This massive section of quay destroyed by an earthquake is preserved to remember the past.

Closed for decades, this strange symbol of Japan's Expo '70 has finally opened its psychedelic insides to the public.

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.

One of the world's largest ancient burial mounds.