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

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

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

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.

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

A displaced shrine that was put back after a string of bad luck.

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

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

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

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

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

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

Across this single-file rope bridge is what has been claimed to be the edge of continental Asia.

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.

Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.

Experience a charming 1930s version of "infotainment."

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.

The second building of its name to occupy this location might be the finest flatiron building in San Francisco.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.