Imagine walking through an ancient forest so untouched by time that even the soil seems to rise and fall beneath your feet—as if the Earth itself were breathing. Welcome to Shirakami-Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Japan, home to one of the last remaining virgin beech forests in East Asia... and possibly the most subtly mystical landscape in the entire country.

Imagine walking into a hotel lobby after a long trip, only to be greeted not by a person, but by a talking dinosaur in a bellboy uniform. Sounds like a scene from a sci-fi movie? Well, it's real — and it's in Japan.

Welcome to Henn-na Hotel, famously known as “The Weird Hotel”, where robots run the show. From check-in to luggage assistance, the staff are robots — and that’s not even the weirdest part.