An unexpected curiosity cabinet hidden within a department store in the Japan Post tower.

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

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

A network of sandy streets lined with verdant fukugi trees weaves throughout this tiny seaside town.

This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.

Birthplace of the Tendai sect and home to the marathon monks.

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

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

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

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

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

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

A derelict New Zealand-themed amusement park in Japan.

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.

A small Japanese village claims to be the final resting place of the son of God (and God's other son's ear).

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.

Children's literature inside, forest all around.

Sulphuric gases inhabit a beautiful Japanese island.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

Historical Japanese-Dutch relations are honored with haunted rides and flower fields in this replica town.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

Be a ninja - or just act like one.