jencgeiger's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Yuza, Japan

Jūroku Rakan Iwa

Buddha figures are carved into volcanic rocks on the seashore of Yamagara Prefecture.
Kobe, Japan

Hanshin Expressway Earthquake Museum

A museum run by retired highway engineers who helped rebuild after the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
Joso, Japan

Honeybee Drinking Fountain

Every summer, this shrine sets up a tiny drinking fountain reserved for thirsty apians.
Yokohama, Japan

Taya Caves

A network of ancient tunnels and vaulted chambers with mystical Buddhist reliefs, built for ascetic training.
Otaru, Japan

Kitaichi Hall

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

Hacksaw Ridge

A World War II battle site made famous by one man's heroic actions.
Aki, Japan

Ioki Cave

Over 40 species of fern cover the canyon walls of this lush green bowl, cut off from the bustle of the world by a cave entrance.
Matsushima, Japan

Matsushima Bay

These tiny pine-covered islands have inspired art and poetry for centuries.
Nikko, Japan

Cedar Avenue of Nikkō

Stretching for 22 miles, the world's longest tree-lined avenue dates back to the early 17th-century.
Yokosuka, Japan

Mikasa Memorial Warship

The last remaining predreadnought battleship in the world has been a museum for nearly a century.
Kure, Japan

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Submarine Museum

"Excuse me sir, your submarine is blocking my building."
Ishigaki, Japan

Yonekoyaki Craft Center Shisa Park

Along the side of the road on a small Japanese island is an extensive garden of uniquely designed Shisa statues.
Ojika-chō, Japan

Nozaki Island

A deserted island in southwest Japan that once sheltered persecuted Christians.
Kamakura, Japan

Sixteen Wells

This mysterious medieval grotto holds a grid of sacred wells of unknown purpose.
Kyonan, Japan

Nihonji Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Nihonji

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

Yufuin Floral Village

This amusement park brings a little slice of England to the heart of Kyushu.
Minakami, Japan

Mount Tanigawa

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

Okochi Sanso Gardens

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.
Otsuki, Japan

Saruhashi Bridge

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

Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.
Kitagawa, Japan

Monet's Garden Marmottan

Nope, not the one in France. The only officially-recognized reproduction of Monet’s garden in Giverny is located in a remote corner of Japan.
Hiroshima, Japan

Human Shadow Etched in Stone

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.
Izena-son, Japan

Izena Island

Ruins and statues dot the landscape of this tiny island rich with royal history.
Kamikawa-chō, Japan

Tonomine Highlands

A thick blanket of beautiful pampas grass cloaks this unique Japanese landscape.