This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

The 72-foot giant escaped confinement in a large patch of mulch only to be reburied in the sandy shores of the Potomac River.

Along the side of the road on a small Japanese island is an extensive garden of uniquely designed Shisa statues.

This monumental intersection commemorates the day Okinawa switched to driving on the left.

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

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."

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

The world-record holder for the longest bridge stretching continuously over water.

Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

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.

This little-known collection holds everything from "Dracula" notes, to the manuscript of "Ulysses," to the forged works of Shakespeare.

Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.