An ode to "The Queen of Appalachia."

The headquarters of one of Japan’s leading astronomy research institutions features several historic observatory facilities and a 2,000-year-old burial mound.

A tiny kissaten coffeeshop with expertly crafted coffee in an antique setting.

A museum housed in a stunning Rockefeller-funded medical institute building from the 1930s.

The 650 red and white Japanese plum trees of this Tokyo neighborhood blossom each spring.

A colorful, architectural experiment designed to increase a resident's longevity.

This giant two-tier celebration cake serves as a befitting advert for the confectionery college it sits on top of.

The site of Japan’s first archaeological excavation is also the birthplace of fingerprint forensics.

These sculptures were created by a 17th-century artist who had never seen an elephant.

According to one legend, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.

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

Once the main gateway to Tokyo, sneaking through this checkpoint was a capital offense in feudal times.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

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

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.