Places Alpy Wants to Go

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

A collection of more than 1,000 teddies from nearly any profession.

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000-year-old wood at this peaceful site.

Its collection distills more than 60 years of pop culture in Japan, from Godzilla to Hulk Hogan.

The only Buddhist temple in Japan dedicated to breasts.

The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.

Retro as can be, this cinema still uses film reels and screens revivals of Shōwa-era hits and classics.

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

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

Shells collected from over a hundred different countries line the walls, floors and ceilings of this fantasy museum.

This risky summer festival honors a historic volcanic eruption.

A Mayan village preserved for centuries in volcanic ash.

Military artifacts from the Salvadoran Civil War are displayed in this small but notable museum.

Iguanas roam in a lagoon inside a volcanic crater that erupted more than 2200 years ago.

A Buddhist temple covered in intricate designs and carvings made out of seashells and pieces of coral.

A nostalgic restaurant evokes life in Taiwan from the 1940s to the 1970s.

This collection of lakeside pagodas and temples are flanked by giant lions, tigers, and dragons as well as their welcoming maws.

Looking for a crappy restaurant? Pull up a porcelain bowl and enjoy your meal.

The world’s largest work of glass art hides in this stunning Taiwanese subway station.

Grandpa Rainbow felt the neighborhood needed some color, so he picked up a paintbrush and went to work.

A rare pod of derelict midcentury Futuro and Venturo houses lines a semi-abandoned beachfront resort outside Taipei.

An enormous dragon scales the walls of this 17-story temple.

Stunning wetlands ablaze with pink lotus flowers.

At the right time of day, sunlight floods through the roof of this cave and illuminates the small pavilion hidden within.