cameronpayson's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Sado, Japan

Earth Celebration

Japan's longest-running music festival takes place on an isolated butterfly-shaped island.
Sado, Japan

Sado Kinzan

For centuries, this gold mine was the powerhouse behind the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Sado, Japan

Aikawa Prison

A wooden prison doesn't sound like a good idea, yet this abandoned 1950s detention center still stands today.
Sado, Japan

Chokokuji Temple's Rabbit Kannon Statue

This giant statue pays homage to this temple's furry residents who keep the landscape pristine.
Oarai, Japan

Kamiiso no Torii

A lone torii arch stands on a coastal rock where a deity is said to have landed.
Mito, Japan

Ogushi Kaizuka Park

A park built around the legend of a clam-loving giant who created a monumental midden.
Hitachinaka, Japan

Kochia Hill

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.
Hitachiōmiya-shi, Japan

The Gamma Field

The world's largest radiation field is probably our best bet for irradiated vegetable superheroes.
Utsunomiya, Japan

The Venus of Gyoza

At a Japanese train station, a goddess emerges from a dumpling.
Utsunomiya, Japan

Oya History Museum - Subterranean Cave

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

Katayama Shuzo

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.
Nikko, Japan

Abandoned Western Village

This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.
Nikko, Japan

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.
Nikko, Japan

Ashio Copper Mine

The site of Japan's first major environmental disaster.
Uonuma, Japan

Tadami Train Line

Running through lush forests and across the Tadami River, this train line offers breathtaking views of rural Japan.
Niigata, Japan

Niigata Rice Cracker Museum & Bakauke Inari

This snack factory boasts several tributes to its popular line of rice crackers, including a quasi-shrine.
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.
Tamura, Japan

Abukuma-do Caves

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

Mushi Mushi Land

"Bug Bug" Land, a natural park for beetle watching, still hasn't fully recovered from Fukushima's nuclear disaster.
Tsuruoka, Japan

Sokushinbutsu of Dainichibou Temple

The self-mummified monks of Japan.
Yonezawa, Japan

Ubayu Onsen

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

The Fountain of Ideas

Ward off bad luck and fill your bottle with "the most watery water" at this little roadside shrine in Yonezawa.
Shiroishi, Japan

Shinseki Shiroishi (God Stone of Shiroishi)

A town's namesake rock has served as a spiritual matchmaker for hundreds of years.
Yamagata, Japan

Yamadera Temple Complex

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.