The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.

How did a lighthouse wind up in the middle of this landlocked German city?

The final resting place for a wealthy Roman family, this tomb might be the best preserved of its kind outside Italy.

A church filled with the bones of hundreds of virgins martyrs—or so they say.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.

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

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

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired Princess Mononoke.

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

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

A cool dive bar, off the beaten track.

Huts like this were once a hub for the female divers who collected pearls and seafood off Japan's coasts.

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

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

A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

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

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

The only thing sweeter than the potatoes is the canine proprietor of this roadside stall.

The only Edo-period ferry that is still in operation in Tokyo today.