Places samireland Wants to Go

A trio of keyhole-shaped burial mounds restored to their ancient glory.

Installed in 1965, this whimsical slide has spawned a brood of “octopus mountains” across Japan.

Ward off bad luck and fill your bottle with "the most watery water" at this little roadside shrine in Yonezawa.

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

Unchanged for decades, World War II-era bullet holes and nostalgic ghost signs still haunt this desolate train station.

Sharks, stingrays, and turtles swim in the pools at this former elementary school.

A bizarre, tuberculosis sanatorium-themed café moonlighting as an underground art gallery.

A temple made famous by Japanese Buddhist monks who sacrificed themselves at sea.

For centuries, this gold mine was the powerhouse behind the Tokugawa Shogunate.

This volcanic island in the Pacific just keeps growing and growing.

Cute manhole covers commemorate the hometown of the real-life Ash Ketchum who created Pokémon.

The site of Japan's first major environmental disaster.

A mile-long trail of pottery culture, full of clay pipes and lucky cats, including one that’s 12.5 feet tall.

In 806, Kobo Daishi began meditating on Mount Misen. The Buddhist monk lit this holy fire, which has been kept burning for 1,200 years.

A natural wonder with mythological ties to the local Ainu tradition.

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

A World War II battle site made famous by one man's heroic actions.

It is rumored that if you spot this little golden frog hiding in plain sight, good luck will come your way.

An ancient Greek physician is honored as a god at this hole-in-the-wall shrine.

The first Venetian glass exhibit in Japan and one of the largest in the world.

Access to this hidden site of a 14th-century mass suicide is prohibited, unless it is to pray for the dead.

A miniature shrine in the busy corner of Tokyo's historic Broadway, honoring a sextet of unusual entertainment gods.

More than 100 antique vending machines housed in a used tire shop sell everything from candy to sake and ramen.

The birthplace of Japanese coinage.