Places samireland Wants to Go

An Akita-themed facility modeled after the old Shibuya Station, erected in honor of Hachiko, a famously loyal dog.

A long-worshipped mountain, considered a "power spot" and suspected to be an ancient pyramid by some.

Once known for its eerie appearance, this semicircular monument is all that remains of a Tokyo industrial icon.

Over 80 years old, this hand-dug tunnel is a Chinese-style portal to another world.

An ancient mountain-cut pass runs largely forgotten in the suburbs of Kamakura.

At the time of its construction, this type of door was nearly unheard of.

Nestled among the bamboos in a temple complex, this art installation serves as a unique memorial to insects.

This mythical weapon stuck on the mountaintop is also the site of the first honeymoon in Japan's history.

This traditional Japanese shrine is dedicated to four Shinto deities.

Two ogres stand guard at the Oga Visitor Center.

This unusual "magical shrine" honors a legendary raccoon-dog god that stowed away to Japan from some far-off land.

The original location of the eponymous site of Japan’s Yayoi period is now lost in time.

This quaint mountain pass with centuries-old cobblestones is known as Japan's steepest slope.

A dramatic landscape of ancient lava, carved into hexagonal columns by nature itself.

This sports stadium was made from 25,000 cypress trees and ranks among the world's largest wooden domes.

This surreal thumbs-up monument commemorates a shiatsu legend.

A mountaintop Buddhist temple with panoramic views of Hiroshima.

All 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are depicted in anthropomorphized deity form.

Officially the lowest mountain in Japan.

Home to 800-year-old zen basin, a 400-year-old pilgrim’s path, and a century-old industrial grotto.

This subway station is named after a local legend about supernatural dancing cats.

Take a lick of the legendary homemade miso paste that protected this Buddhist temple’s scrolls from a fire centuries ago.

An adorable intake tower with a “witch hat” stands in the Edo River.

A mountaintop shrine-temple guarded by a horde of half-demon priests.