Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.

A strange tribute to all the fallen souls of war.

An infamous house made famous by director Takashi Shimizu.

A sculpture that resurrected the only tree standing following the devastating 2011 tsunami.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.

A giant robo-cockroach building devours Tokyo.

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

Children's literature inside, forest all around.

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

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

A rare festival blending religion, blacksmiths, vagina dentata, sex workers, and the straight-up facts of life.

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

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

Shells collected from over a hundred different countries line the walls, floors and ceilings of this fantasy museum.

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

The world’s first hotel to be run by robots.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.