Places vveracarvalhocosta Wants to Go

Reportedly 1,400 years old, this may be the first of the Fiji Mermaids.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

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

An unexpected curiosity cabinet hidden within a department store in the Japan Post tower.

Cherry blossom season comes early in this Japanese town where pink flowers line the streets and riverbanks.

Japan's largest area of "pink moss" turns the hillside bright pink every spring.

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

This ancient temple is set up to take you on a pilgrimage of self.

The world's largest drain sits below the city of Kasukabe, Japan.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

Kawaii meets poisonous at this unique art gallery.

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

A rare festival blending religion, blacksmiths, vagina dentata, sex workers, and the straight-up facts of life.

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

A disconnected rotary phone for "calling" lost loved ones offered a unique way of dealing with grief in disaster-stricken Japan.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

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

When this clock strikes a certain time, puppets showcase a story of life in Edo Japan.

White beach sands made of the remains of tiny, star shaped creatures.

Closed for decades, this strange symbol of Japan's Expo '70 has finally opened its psychedelic insides to the public.

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

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.