Places ElineB Wants to Go

Children's literature inside, forest all around.

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

An oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.

A calico cat named Tama was the wildly popular Super Station Master at this train stop in southeast Japan.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

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

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

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

The world’s first hotel to be run by robots.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

This pair of small sea rocks has been "wed" using rope and ancient Shinto tradition.

One of the first hotel rooms in a pod.

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

A massive cave complex boasts some of the clearest water (and most charming bats) in the world.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

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

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

The self-mummified monks of Japan.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

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

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

Every color in the rainbow awaits.