Places jgallagherm Wants to Go

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

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

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

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

This little town supplies Japan with most of its calligraphy brushes, still made by hand from animal fur.

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

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

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

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

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

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

Discover the past, present, and future of packaging in this unique Japanese museum.

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

This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.

An abandoned Art Deco hotel nestled on the side of a wooded mountain.

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?

Modern Japanese museum is buried by snow annually.

Giant art made in Japanese rice fields.

A sculpture that resurrected the only tree standing following the devastating 2011 tsunami.

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.

An anthropological theme park that depicts the cultures of around 20 different countries.

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.