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

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

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

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

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

The bluer than blue waters in these natural Israeli caves are reached via the world's steepest cable car.

Across Ring Mountain is a vast collection of Native American petroglyphs unique to the region.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

A lawless town deep in Death Valley was famous for its riches and death rate.

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

The Giant Lemon of Lemon Grove.

This dark, quiet forest on the outskirts of San Diego is dense with rumor and lore.

This unique sanctuary invites you to interact with the beautiful birds.

The overgrown ruins of a once thriving World War I-era copper mine.

A small sculpture garden that provides a microcosmic representation of California.

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

Shop selling 500 flavors of soda has something for everyone.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.