This ruined Japanese stripclub sits half burnt to the ground.

Okinawan dining in a twenty foot tall, man-made tree house overlooking Naha Harbor.

One of the first hotel rooms in a pod.

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

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.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

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

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

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

Though technically an illegal structure, this eclectic DIY apartment complex is beloved by its residents.

A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

Next door to Tokyo DisneySea is a giant sculpture created by Taro Okamoto symbolizing the dynamism of life.

This battleship of a building was designed by a famed "mad architect."

The birthplace of Japanese coinage.

This statue of Buddha has a distinctive hairstyle meant to represent an unfathomably long period of meditation.

Run a wash cycle while sipping a latte at this community-oriented café.

Legend has it that centuries ago, a ghost once frequented this candy shop to feed her still-living baby.

Two ogres stand guard at the Oga Visitor Center.

Over 40 species of fern cover the canyon walls of this lush green bowl, cut off from the bustle of the world by a cave entrance.

A giant man-eating crab monster allegedly left its claw marks on this unassuming boulder.

This “grave” memorializes the 53 rakugo stories that were once banned by the national censorship.