A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

A network of sandy streets lined with verdant fukugi trees weaves throughout this tiny seaside town.

Be a ninja - or just act like one.

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

A massive cave complex boasts some of the clearest water (and most charming bats) in the world.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired 'Princess Mononoke.'

Kay Andrews's recipe was so good, her family immortalized it in stone.

The ornate structure is part of a building boasting more marble than the Vatican.

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

Two ancient Buddhist temples crown this dramatic rocky pinnacle.

The atmospheric road was never meant to be so creepy.

The birthplace of an eccentric alchemist and possible inspiration for the fictional reanimator of monsters.

Winding paths and ramshackle mausoleums in the oldest "park cemetery" in London.

Enormous lake at the bottom of a unique cave system.