The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.

A small island less than half a mile from Venice is a forbidden island with a dark and twisted past.

One of the world's longest murals depicts the history of diversity in Los Angeles.

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.

Crushed coral and crystals give the sand its signature coloration.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London's creepiest cemetery was once the site of dueling magicians and mobs of stake-carrying vampire hunters.

Croatia's "hairy stone" fortress is one of the most well preserved Istrian castles.

Large, airy hallways hide within an impenetrable fortress that beckons urban explorers.

Haunted house kitsch meets Japanese folklore at this theme bar where patrons can “die” and have their own mock funeral.

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.

The giant figure on the back of this turtle-shaped temple actually hides a memorial pendulum.

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.

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

This ruined Japanese stripclub sits half burnt to the ground.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port.

A Japanese concept restaurant that feels like a party thrown by the monsters in your closet.

Fine dining in the bizarre world of Lewis Carroll.