Places Sonj Wants to Go

This tiny store is your one-stop shop for all sorts of rare and wonderful buttons.

The dishes at this restaurant by The Sioux Chef celebrate indigenous heritage.

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

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

View Japan's most historic city from a cyberpunk walkway suspended 150 feet above the ground.

Legend has it that centuries ago, a ghost once frequented this candy shop to feed her still-living baby.

These turtle-shaped concrete stepping stones provide a unique river crossing in central Kyoto.

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.