Places fkitchens Wants to Go

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

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

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

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

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.

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

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.

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

Hanging over one of Japan’s “hidden valleys,” these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

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

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.