Places zaphyr8 Wants to Go

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

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

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

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

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

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.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.

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

The remains of what was, not so long ago, the world's largest city.

Once an indicator of social class, the color blue has come to define this city on the edge of the Thar Desert.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.

The birthplace of an eccentric alchemist and possible inspiration for the fictional reanimator of monsters.

A wunderkammer of mysterious objects and stories.

A narrow passage next to a cafe leads to a courtyard exploding with murals, tags, and paste-ups.

A museum dedicated to the history of a terrifying secret police is now held in their former headquarters.

The most visited, and possibly most controversial, museum in Germany.