A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

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

This ancient temple is set up to take you on a pilgrimage of self.

One of the first hotel rooms in a pod.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

Reportedly 1,400 years old, this may be the first of the Fiji Mermaids.

A massive cave complex boasts some of the clearest water (and most charming bats) in the world.

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired Princess Mononoke.

Experience park where visitors are told to expect the unexpected.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

A tiny collection of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, open only when the owner feels like it.

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

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.