Places Jay Braun Wants to Go

The only Buddhist temple in Japan dedicated to breasts.

It is said that coins washed in the waters here will miraculously multiply.

This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

A temple made famous by Japanese Buddhist monks who sacrificed themselves at sea.

According to one legend, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

This water goblin statue represents a 19th-century urban legend about a haunted canal that became a Japanese idiom.

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

The tallest city hall in the world offers an excellent bento box.

A rare example of an ancient Japanese hill castle believed to be the fortress of a legendary demon.

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.

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.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

Weighing nearly seven tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

This incredible mountainside temple is home to intriguing statues of demon-like creatures.

A quaint amusement park now sits, rusting and forgotten among the foliage.

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.

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

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.