Places samireland Wants to Go

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.

The largest seated Buddha statue in Japan is the centerpiece of an abandoned complex in a quiet, seaside town.

Thousands of foxes are said to gather and parade across the neighborhood of Ōji on New Year’s Eve.

This giant fashion model is one of the most beloved symbols of Nagoya.

A natural resemblance of the monster of film lore.

The former site of Fukuoka’s legendary ramen joint works hard to guide customers to the “original” original.

Every summer, this shrine sets up a tiny drinking fountain reserved for thirsty apians.

A lesser-known sister to Paris's world-famous museum, located within a Buddhist sculpture paradise.

A museum in Hokkaido is housed in a former high school. On its grounds a marker shares the awakening of a man who longs to be reunited with his soulmate in the fictional world of Kcymaerxthaere.

This temple is home to a group of Buddha statues made from thousands of bones and ashes of the deceased.

Plagued with warts? Leave a frog at this small shrine in the city of Tosa, and you may be cured.

This iconic “station bento” comes in an earthenware pot you can take home and repurpose.