In a rural Japanese town that has committed to sustainable practices, even the hotel is made from recycled materials.

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

These unconventional "tub boats" let locals row around the island's turbulent coast.

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

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

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

This exacting restaurant will charge a fine for every grain of rice you've left behind.

A remote and slightly overgrown park filled with replicas of world landmarks.

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.

White beach sands made of the remains of tiny, star shaped creatures.

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

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

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

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.