Places vveracarvalhocosta Wants to Go

Associated with one of Japan's most famous fairy tales, this temple is home to a statue purportedly brought from the undersea palace of the Dragon God.

A peaceful place to spot the rare and iconic red-crowned crane.

The World Heritage-designated site of Japan’s industrial revolution, once mistaken as a den of vampires.

This station on an abandoned railway line, named for “happiness,” is still a popular destination for lovers.

This bakery in Japan is one of the few places that still sells 'salad bread,' a short-lived staple in the post-World War II years.

Legend says that a swarm of centipedes and snakes once crawled out of the tomb of this cursed princess.

An eccentric castle with snake protectors and spectacular views of Beppu.

This “forbidden” sanctuary has managed to preserve a unique, ancient ecosystem.

A replica of an ancient alien-like idol humorously represents spectacles in a corner of this shrine complex.

Feast your eyes on the centuries-old statues of the judges of hell.

The site of a prehistoric settlement spanning millennia, complete with a reconstructed timber circle.

A romantic escape inspired by the legend of a child-eating five-headed dragon.

A whimsical shrine with a porcelain Torii gate, split in half by an active train line.

The former site of the U.S. military base redeveloped as an art district, boasting a collection of 109 public artworks from 36 countries.

For but one summer in 1975, this rural suburb became a busy tourist spot when a local girl claimed to have seen ghostly faces on an old stele.

A bar dedicated to he Jojo manga franchise, with over 50 original cocktails.

An atmospheric shrine of mountain worship that is home to a number of curious folk tales.

All that remains of Okinawa's royal temple are a restored gateway and a tall banyan tree.

According to local folklore, a demon left his handprints on these boulders, which became the prefecture’s namesake.

A slope with a mysterious name recalls a discontinued pre-war energy drink.

At the "fishing boat shrine," an offering is said to help ward off fevers.

A legend of a mysterious phantom train haunts this grave.

The highest mountain in Hokkaido was the setting for one of Japan’s strangest unsolved mysteries.

A single block in this stone staircase to the temple is mysteriously always wet.