The floats housed in this hall are more than 100 years old, and are brought out for an annual celebration.

One of the world’s few undersea pedestrian tunnels connects Honshu and Kyushu islands.

In the oldest zen temple stands a descendant of the very tree that introduced tea to Japanese culture.

A private collector gathered these sound machines and musical instruments across five continents.

This magnificent tourist cave, with the highest ceiling of any in Spain, was once an anti-fascist arms dump and war factory and is now a concert venue

A serene mountaintop temple complex featuring one big, bronze Buddha.

Once a year, these 'visitor deities' chase away evil spirits with a phallic-shaped staff.

This glass wall is gradually filling up with paper cranes, in honor of Hiroshima’s past and dedication to its future.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

This enormous "shamoji" means more to the people of Miyajima than just a way getting rice onto a plate.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

The statue's head is one of the few fragments of the original Urakami Cathedral to survive the atomic bomb.

A historical western settlement that is known as one of the three most disappointing sights of Japan.

This ornate example of 19th-century Chinese architecture is one of only a handful of Confucius shrines in Japan.

A whimsical shrine with a porcelain Torii gate, split in half by an active train line.

A faithful reconstruction of what was once the only window into Japan.

This is no ordinary coffee chain outlet—it's an architectural masterpiece.

Steaming blood-red hot spring from hell.

An eccentric castle with snake protectors and spectacular views of Beppu.

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

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

A culturally significant rural temple in the beautiful mountains of Itoshima.