A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

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

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

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

Cherry blossom season comes early in this Japanese town where pink flowers line the streets and riverbanks.

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.