Places blueheron28 Wants to Go

The first museum in Europe dedicated to the art of origami.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

Discover the past, present, and future of packaging in this unique Japanese museum.

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.

A taste of the 15th century in the bustling heart of the modern Shinjuku City.

This iconic “station bento” comes in an earthenware pot you can take home and repurpose.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

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

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

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

Experience park where visitors are told to expect the unexpected.

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port.

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

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

Cute manhole covers commemorate the hometown of the real-life Ash Ketchum who created Pokémon.

More than 100 antique vending machines housed in a used tire shop sell everything from candy to sake and ramen.

Open 24 hours, this self-serve sandwich spot specializes in egg salad sandwiches in a land that takes them very seriously.

A lavender labyrinth so large it’s visible on Google Earth.

Sample some of Iberia’s best tinned fish at this century-old cannery just north of Porto.

Try Taiwan's iconic Apple Bread—which traditionally contains no apples—at the bakery that invented it.