Places fkitchens Wants to Go

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.

This museum showcases the art of ancient sword-making.

These wondrously illuminated caverns extend under the mountains of the Fukushima Prefecture.

Stuck in a bygone era, the oldest subterranean shopping street in Japan hides beneath the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

A statue erected on an infamous cliff where young boys would hold dangerous "pee offs" to prove their mettle.

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

These unique toilets feature transparent glass covered in PDLC film.

This mountain's identity is stuck somewhere between a nightmare and a scenic tourist attraction.

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

A small Japanese village claims to be the final resting place of the son of God (and God's other son's ear).

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.

Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.

Sidle into a side alley for a taste of sumo wrestlers' traditional hot-pot soup, in a tiny restaurant founded by a former competitor.

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

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

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.