Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

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

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.

The giant figure on the back of this turtle-shaped temple actually hides a memorial pendulum.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

A Japanese shrine to dolls.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

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

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.

Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.

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

These Japanese gardens are blankets of light for dark winter nights.

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

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

Historical Japanese-Dutch relations are honored with haunted rides and flower fields in this replica town.

A rare festival blending religion, blacksmiths, vagina dentata, sex workers, and the straight-up facts of life.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.