BLue94's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Yonezawa, Japan

Ubayu Onsen

Located in a remote mountain valley in Yamagata Prefecture, these hot springs have attracted bathers for over 450 years.
Utsunomiya, Japan

Oya History Museum - Subterranean Cave

This massive, beautifully-lit underground quarry leaves visitors in awe.
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.
Nasu, Japan

Sesshōseki (Killing Stone)

Believed to hold the remains of Japan's most infamous fox spirit, this stone is said to kill those who dare approach.
Kushiro, Japan

Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

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

Omori Shell Mound

The site of Japan’s first archaeological excavation is also the birthplace of fingerprint forensics.
Chichibu, Japan

Chichibu Chinsekikan (Hall of Curious Rocks)

This quirky little private museum is home to more than a thousand stones, carved by nature, that resemble human faces.
Otsuki, Japan

Saruhashi Bridge

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

Nima Sand Museum

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

Hōryū-ji

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.
Yonaguni, Japan

Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei (Yonaguni Monument)

The Yonaguni Monument, a natural formation or the Japanese Atlantis?
Kyoto, Japan

Ichiriki

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.
Narusawa, Japan

Fugaku Wind Cave

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.
Sakai Ward, Japan

Daisen Kofun

One of the world's largest ancient burial mounds.
Tokyo, Japan

Tobacco & Salt Museum

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.
Yūbari-shi, Japan

Shimizusawa Thermal Power Plant

This historic hydroelectric power plant in Japan has been preserved and is open to the public.
Hiroshima, Japan

Human Shadow Etched in Stone

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.
Izumo-shi, Japan

Izumo-Taisha

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

Kamakura's Seven Entrances

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.
Uozu-shi, Japan

Buried Forest Museum

Roots and stumps that lay inundated for two millennia are on display in Japan's city of three mysteries.
Tamura, Japan

Abukuma-do Caves

These wondrously illuminated caverns extend under the mountains of the Fukushima Prefecture.
Ushiku, Japan

Ushiku Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Ushiku

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.
Sendai-shi, Japan

Sendai Daikannon

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

Secret Cobblestones of Hide-and-Seek Alley

A few hidden stones are said to bring fortune and love.