This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

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

This adorable birdlike police box is designed based on a play on words.

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.

"The Dance of Fools" is Japan's largest dance festival.

Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

"Bug Bug" Land, a natural park for beetle watching, still hasn't fully recovered from Fukushima's nuclear disaster.

The floats housed in this hall are more than 100 years old, and are brought out for an annual celebration.

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

This historic hydroelectric power plant in Japan has been preserved and is open to the public.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

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

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

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

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

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

This seven story Japanese love hotel now stands in ruins.

A sobering scientific reminder of the human damage caused by the advent of the nuclear age.

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.