Places JBecks Wants to Go

A serene mountaintop temple complex featuring one big, bronze Buddha.

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

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

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.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

A faithful reconstruction of what was once the only window into Japan.

The giant figure on the back of this turtle-shaped temple actually hides a memorial pendulum.

Visiting this grotto is symbolic of a spiritual journey into Nirvana.

The site where the Emperor of Korea performed the long-forbidden "rite of heaven" to demonstrate his absolute sovereignty.

The supreme shrine of the state.

The burial ground of two kings and a queen is now a calm city park in the middle of bustling Seoul.

Its humdrum facade only adds to its electrifying appeal: a rooftop with panoramic views of a shapeshifting metropolis.

The world's longest bridge fountain has hundreds of nozzles that create a beautiful, illuminated spectacle.

Tracking the 1,500-year history of Korea's star cabbage.

About as hidden as can be, this specialty coffee shop is wedged between multi-story buildings at the end of a dark, skinny alleyway in Seoul.

These imposing walls and towers look more like the ruins of a fortress than a monastery.

The oldest pub in Ireland may also be the oldest surviving bar in the entire world.

An 80-year-old plane tree is devouring an iron bench at Ireland's oldest law school.

The enchanting archway is the only surviving portal into Dublin’s lost medieval wall.

The defensive tower was built centuries ago to warn locals of Berber pirate attacks.

This quaint Spanish village agreed to be painted blue as a marketing stunt but found that they preferred it that way.

The ruins of a 2,000-year-old Roman fishing village perched on one of the best beaches in Spain.

Rare karst landscape eroded from a flat seabed.