The site of a famous samurai duel.

It is said that coins washed in the waters here will miraculously multiply.

Only the face remains of this giant Buddha statue, which is said to be a source of luck for students.

This phallic temple was erected in the forest to honor the tragic death of a samurai lord's son.

Japan's longest-running music festival takes place on an isolated butterfly-shaped island.

Dedicated to the armor and weapons used by the legendary Japanese warriors.

Once the main gateway to Tokyo, sneaking through this checkpoint was a capital offense in feudal times.

Although it has never been a secret ninja base, this shrine still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

Believed to hold the remains of Japan's most infamous fox spirit, this stone is said to kill those who dare approach.

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

This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

According to one legend, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

Mythical beasts symbolizing the city of Tokyo guard a historic bridge.

A rare example of an ancient Japanese hill castle believed to be the fortress of a legendary demon.

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

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

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

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

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

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