Places ashlyhill87 Wants to Go

Perhaps the world's cheapest vending machines.

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

A massive wintry wall of snow up to 66 feet tall flanks a highway through Japan's mountains.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

These Japanese gardens are blankets of light for dark winter nights.

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

The tallest city hall in the world offers an excellent bento box.

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

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

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

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

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

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

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

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

Hanging over one of Japan’s “hidden valleys,” these vine bridges must be remade every three years.