Places Charles WV Wants to Go

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

Hanging over one of Japan’s “hidden valleys,” these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

Nestled amid the trees lies an abandoned funicular railway that dates back to the 1920s.

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.

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

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

Japan and South Korea both lay claim to islands inhabited by one woman.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

Japan’s only surviving winding tower.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

Historical Japanese-Dutch relations are honored with haunted rides and flower fields in this replica town.

A deserted island in southwest Japan that once sheltered persecuted Christians.

This ornate example of 19th-century Chinese architecture is one of only a handful of Confucius shrines in Japan.

A faithful reconstruction of what was once the only window into Japan.

A sobering scientific reminder of the human damage caused by the advent of the nuclear age.

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

This amusement park brings a little slice of England to the heart of Kyushu.

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

Row through this enchanted narrow chasm whose stones are said to resemble dragon scales.