Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Part modern art project, part traditional chapel, this see-through church is only substantial from the right angle.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

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

A monument to the two U.S. officers killed by North Korean troops while trying to trim a poplar tree.

The site of many tense prisoner exchanges across the Military Demarcation Line between North and South Korea.

The air force base preserves its scars from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Once home to over 8,000 exiled Hawaiians suffering from Hansen's Disease.

A herd of 150 bison live on California's Santa Catalina Island and are at the heart of an ongoing debate between environmental protection and economic expansion.

An odd little fishing town that is inundated by tourists looking to be locked up in a cage and surrounded by great white sharks, because why not?

The oldest of its kind in the country, this tree sits where formerly enslaved people are said to have founded the city of Freetown.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

Climb a steep hill in 90 seconds on the second-oldest urban subway in the world.

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.

On any given day this sprawling market houses literally tons of government-regulated gold, gems, and precious metals.

The world's largest frame offers spectacular views of the city's past and present.

A preposterously luxurious hotel with gold-plated iPads, Rolls Royce chauffeurs, and a staff that trains by watching "Downton Abbey."

This indoor ski resort has a mountain contained inside a mall.

A unique configuration of blown glass can be found inside this hotel lobby.

Feed it cash, get your very own gold bar.

This almost-forgotten underground dungeon housed several convicts over the years, including Caravaggio.