Places VanessaMontalbano Wants to Go

Sulphuric gases inhabit a beautiful Japanese island.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

This giant bronze Buddha, the third largest in Japan, is the last in an ill-fated series of statues.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

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

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

This town near Nagasaki is flecked with fruit-flavored bus stops.

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

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.

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

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.

Okinawan dining in a twenty foot tall, man-made tree house overlooking Naha Harbor.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

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

Fine dining in the bizarre world of Lewis Carroll.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

The floats housed in this hall are more than 100 years old, and are brought out for an annual celebration.