Places MoB Wants to Go

A Japanese cat island also populated by the descendants of a band of banished samurai.

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.

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

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

Japanese island famous for poison gas and fluffy bunnies.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

Dedicated to improving the plight of the rare scaly anteater.

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

The self-mummified monks of Japan.

This historic hydroelectric power plant in Japan has been preserved and is open to the public.

Fascinating early attempt at a Jewish autonomous settlement.

Foreign invaders almost left this lovely Caucasus palace alone—almost.

Home to nearly a third of the world's mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan is home to a messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive landscape.

This striking icon of the disputed Republic of Artsakh caused a stir at a Eurovision Song Contest.

Azerbaijani ghost town, decaying after a war left it an armed forces buffer zone.

In oil-rich Azerbaijan, people bathe in the black stuff.

What might be the largest completely Jewish town in the world outside of Israel now faces dwindling numbers and empty streets.

The building's fluid, wavelike walls are a true feat of architectural ingenuity.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

An abandoned Soviet-era mining town in the mountains of South Kazakhstan.

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.

Nestled in a peaceful valley, this Armenian monastery may have been saved from Mongols thanks to the eyes of God.

This ancient monastery complex was transformed from an island to a peninsula when the lake was partially drained.