A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

This exacting restaurant will charge a fine for every grain of rice you've left behind.

An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”

The world's longest tunnel with an undersea section.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

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

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.

This massive section of quay destroyed by an earthquake is preserved to remember the past.

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

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.

One of the world's largest ancient burial mounds.

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

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

Under Hanoi’s medieval citadel sits a secret military headquarters from the final years of the Vietnam War.

Monument to a brutal, ineffectual US bombing campaign and a sobering reminder of the human cost of the Vietnam War.

A gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this is the only statue of the Soviet dictator in Southeast Asia.

Twice a day a speeding train passes only inches from the homes of this residential neighborhood.