More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

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

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

This kitsch-forward diner is dedicated to an almost-forgotten “one-cent” prototype of okonomiyaki.

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

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

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

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

A taste of the macabre Tokyo's ritzy shopping district.

What do we know about the real woman behind one of the Beatles' most famous songs?

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

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

This rock formation named for its unique shape is one of many that call the Alabama Hills home.