More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.

According to local legend, anyone who falls on these temple steps will turn into a cat.

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

The decommissioned steam engine’s whistle can still be heard three times a day at one of Japan’s oldest train stations.

Steampunk, humanoid sculptures crawl on all fours in a Tokyo plaza.

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

A miniature shrine in the busy corner of Tokyo's historic Broadway, honoring a sextet of unusual entertainment gods.

A tiny street lined with eleven distinct Tanuki statues, each representing a different wish.

In Asakusa, Tokyo's very own Walk of Fame.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

This glass wall is gradually filling up with paper cranes, in honor of Hiroshima’s past and dedication to its future.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

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

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

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

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

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

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

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

A 1000-year-old shrine in Kyoto with a poorly planned sacred arch.