Places Scribbling Geek Wants to Go

Pop culture has helped to keep this iconic British building from being destroyed.

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

Haunted house kitsch meets Japanese folklore at this theme bar where patrons can “die” and have their own mock funeral.

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

This cafe offers a curated collection of treats and tipples made by monks and nuns.

An unusual stroll through gentlemen's erotica demonstrates that pornography is timeless.

This temple located on a vertical drop of a rocky mountain houses relics from the Song Dynasty.

These mountain hot springs have seen power struggles, doomed romances, and a generalissimo's attempted escape from mutiny.

This aquarium has almost as many world records as it does fish.

This ancient sword lay in a waterlogged tomb for 2,500 years, but managed to remain relatively untarnished and impressively sharp.

Comprised of thousands of cave temple carvings this cornucopia of ancient Chinese stone art is unrivaled anywhere in the world.

Hundreds of caves filled with thousands of centuries-old statues and murals.

These tiny statues form a terracotta army from China's Han dynasty.

The field of tiny caves that mark this Chinese cliffside are each their own historic Buddhist temple.

Home to over 200,000 artifacts, this museum attempts to guide visitors through the ancient history of Beijing and Imperial China.

A lush desert oasis in the shape of a narrow crescent.

Explore this massive series of 45 caves and over 51,000 sculptures carved from cliffsides in China.

This incredible Chinese theme park may be the largest bootleg in history.

Natural arch offers panoramic views of Yangshuo's karst hills.

Rock-cut caves and 7,000 Buddhist sculptures carved into the nearly sheer face of a sandstone mountain.

A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

Intensely colorful calcite pools in Southern China.

A canvas of crops grow from vibrant red soil in this terraced farmland.