On the roof of the oldest department store in Tainan stands a Shinto shrine dating to the 1930s.

The first Confucian temple in Taiwan, founded by the son of a pirate lord, doubled as the island's first state-sponsored school.

Inside a Scottish castle hangs the tattered remains of a flag with murky origins and supposed magic powers.

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

Only through deep darkness and tragedy did this elaborate royal palace become a sacred temple.

The tangled roots of a giant banyan tree have fully reclaimed the ruins of this abandoned warehouse.

Unbeknownst to many, this fountain was erected as a tomb and still holds the remains of a Frenchman.

One of the world's largest ancient burial mounds.

If you dare visit this fort, fire-breathing hyenas might devour your camels.

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

This bridge is so steep it looks like a rollercoaster.

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

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

This is no ordinary coffee chain outlet—it's an architectural masterpiece.

In the oldest zen temple stands a descendant of the very tree that introduced tea to Japanese culture.

An abandoned giant glass dome sits in the bay in “the Venice of the East.”

This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.

A Japanese corporation has turned this small island town into living modern art gallery.

An underground city of salt.

These stained-glass windows are all that remains of a building that was the target of one of the biggest explosions in London after World War II.

This modest relic, with rich history as a strategic fort through multiple eras.

A gorgeous, nostalgic café housed in a lofty old warehouse, lit only by petroleum lamps.

An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”

An undeciphered text is inscribed on a mysterious stone slab.