Places samireland Wants to Go

According to local legend, anyone who falls on these temple steps will turn into a cat.

The northernmost of the 12 surviving feudal castles of Japan is known as a cherry blossom viewing spot.

Once a huge limestone cave that collapsed thousands of years ago, this scenic ravine is also an important archaeological site.

A narrow, dead-end alley hides with a small fox shrine and the untold history of Yokohama's historic red-light district.

These medieval stone-cut Buddhist statues may protect visitors from being fired.

The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.

Looking for the train station? Try the building shaped like a train.

This glass-themed tourist park in northern Japan feels like taking a step back in time.

A bizarre statue of a Buddhist goddess made from 20,000 insects.

A hidden alley with seven corners and handmade cat decorations.

This theme park is not in Tokyo, not especially German, and certainly not a village.

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

The strange “kaiju” of Lake Imba that allegedly killed over a dozen men with a single strike of lightning.

One of the only two archaeological sites in Japan to feature petroglyphs, which some believe to be a long-lost writing system of the gods.

An eerie cluster of medieval cave-like tombs carved out of a cliff, hidden in a historic mountain pass.

Life-sized statues of two characters from a decades-long Japanese film series stand outside Shibamata station.

Hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples meditating, napping, sneezing, and picking their noses.

Home to a garden of poisonous plants and the only legal cannabis and opium farms in Tokyo.

The tomb of an infamous chimeric monster whose corpse once washed ashore in Osaka.

Various accidents and illnesses fell upon the developers who tried to remove these historic trees.

This beautiful defunct water tower adds a European flair to a traditional Japanese neighborhood.

A bizarre object of worship believed to grant wishes to those who tie it up with a rope.

Marvel at the world's largest collection of jellyfish, including more than 10,000 undulating moon jellies.

A 20,000-year-old fossilized forest is preserved at this unique museum.