The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

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

This ancient burial site was once thought to be the home of a race distinctive to Ainu folklore.

The buildings are among the few Frank Lloyd Wright structures still standing in Japan.

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

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.

A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

A quaint amusement park now sits, rusting and forgotten among the foliage.

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.

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

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare enter it.

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

Discover the past, present, and future of packaging in this unique Japanese museum.

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

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

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

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

"Singing sands" and the world's largest hourglass reside near Japan's Kotogahama beach.