Places rachaelandthemullets Wants to Go

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

Meet the world's longest tapeworm in a collection that really gets under your skin.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

Reportedly 1,400 years old, this may be the first of the Fiji Mermaids.

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.

A massive cave complex boasts some of the clearest water (and most charming bats) in the world.

Japanese island famous for poison gas and fluffy bunnies.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

Hanging over one of Japan’s “hidden valleys,” these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port.

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

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

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

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired 'Princess Mononoke.'

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

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

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

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