Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

This enormous "shamoji" means more to the people of Miyajima than just a way getting rice onto a plate.

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

"Excuse me sir, your submarine is blocking my building."

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.”

Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.

Watch out for the two-story Godzilla made out of tires.

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

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

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

The small candy-colored ride is the last rooftop Ferris wheel in Tokyo.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

Though technically an illegal structure, this eclectic DIY apartment complex is beloved by its residents.

Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.

"The Dance of Fools" is Japan's largest dance festival.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

This little known mountain has claimed four times as many lives as Everest.

Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

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

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

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.