This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

Japan's longest-running music festival takes place on an isolated butterfly-shaped island.

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.

A charming, homemade vending machine dispenses burgers and sandwiches at this hole-in-the-wall bakery.

Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.

Come for the fish sundae, stay for the collection of Studio Ghibli cat buses.

The last remaining predreadnought battleship in the world has been a museum for nearly a century.

Fans line up at the crack of dawn for a slurpy bowl of deliciousness at this noodle counter inside a factory.

This quirky little private museum is home to more than a thousand stones, carved by nature, that resemble human faces.

A rare example of an ancient Japanese hill castle believed to be the fortress of a legendary demon.

A collection of the specialized tools used to construct Japan’s beautiful architecture.

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

This little town supplies Japan with most of its calligraphy brushes, still made by hand from animal fur.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.

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

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869.

Discover the past, present, and future of packaging in this unique Japanese museum.