Places samireland Wants to Go

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.

Visitors to this museum will discover that kaleidoscopes are much more than toys.

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.

This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.

A 59-ft. robot statue looks over the citizens of earthquake-ravaged Kobe.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

Have a soak at this retro bathhouse, where you will find Japan's first electric bath, tiling from Spain, and wood carvings representing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

A calico cat named Tama was the wildly popular Super Station Master at this train stop in southeast Japan.

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

This bridge is so steep it looks like a rollercoaster.

A quaint amusement park now sits, rusting and forgotten among the foliage.

An abandoned Art Deco hotel nestled on the side of a wooded mountain.

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare enter it.

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.

Founded over a thousand years ago, this shrine is said to be built on the site of a warlord's harem prison.

This bizarre residential building is the masterpiece of Von Jour Caux, the “Gaudí of Japan.”

A massive wintry wall of snow up to 66 feet tall flanks a highway through Japan's mountains.

A network of sandy streets lined with verdant fukugi trees weaves throughout this tiny seaside town.

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

Children's literature inside, forest all around.