Places NG3894 Wants to Go

Rainbow-hued in the summer and crystalline in the winter, this salty lake has inspired battles, temples, and plenty of awe.

A tunnel dug through the side of a mountain by hand provides convenient yet death-defying access to a small village in China.

A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

The ancient settlement attracts tourists from all over looking to learn about the Chinese vision of the afterlife.

270 million year-old forest of stone.

A canvas of crops grow from vibrant red soil in this terraced farmland.

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

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

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.

This abandoned fishing settlement may well be the greenest village in the world.

This vertical pinnacle in China was the inspiration for the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”

A part of the world's largest marsh seems to be growing bright red Martian grass.

A fifth-century temple improbably built into the side of a cliff.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

This shop and gallery is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, unassumingly positioned along an urban thoroughfare.

A quirky mausoleum celebrated once every five years with young dancing girls, widows, a tax man, and more.

Around 30 ship figureheads are housed at this 11th-century abbey and gardens.