Places PobbleFrog Wants to Go

A Japanese train station built around a 700-year-old camphor tree.

"Bug Bug" Land, a natural park for beetle watching, still hasn't fully recovered from Fukushima's nuclear disaster.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

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

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

Roots and stumps that lay inundated for two millennia are on display in Japan's city of three mysteries.

Take a few seconds to look at this abandoned, art-filled station as you pass by on the subway to Ueno.

These wondrously illuminated caverns extend under the mountains of the Fukushima Prefecture.

Mythical beasts symbolizing the city of Tokyo guard a historic bridge.

This mountain's identity is stuck somewhere between a nightmare and a scenic tourist attraction.

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

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

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

A few hidden stones are said to bring fortune and love.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

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

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

A calico cat named Tama was the wildly popular Super Station Master at this train stop in southeast Japan.

When this clock strikes a certain time, puppets showcase a story of life in Edo Japan.

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

Founded over a thousand years ago, this shrine is said to be built on the site of a warlord's harem prison.