Asia 

JAPAN            

Mount Fuji located on Honshu Island, (Fuji-san, 富士山 in Japanese) is the highest volcano and highest peak in Japan and considered one of the 3 Holy Mountains (along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku).(Fuji-san, 富士山 in Japanese) is the highest volcano and highest peak in Japan and considered one of the 3 Holy Mountains (along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku)Mt. Fuji is named for the Buddhist fire goddess Fuchi and is sacred to the Shinto goddess Sengen-Sama, whose shrine is found at the summit. It is the holiest of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains." Every summer, thousands of pilgrims and tourists climb to the summit, many of them hiking throughout the night to witness the sunrise from the summit.,erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometers (60 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day.        

Mt Fuji has a complex geologic origin. The large stratovolcano has a base diameter of almost 50 km and culminates in a 500 m wide and 250 m deep summit crater. The volcano overlies several older volcanoes, whose remnants form irregularities on Fuji's symmetrical profile, including Komitake and Ko-Fuji (Older Fuji) which was active 100,000 - 10,000 years ago. 
The present-day, mainly basaltic edifice started to grow about 11-8,000 years ago when large lava flows were erupted that still form 25% of the volume of the edifice today. 
From 8000 to 4500 years ago, Fuji's activity was mainly explosive before another effusive cycle took place between 4500 to 3000 years ago. In the past 3000 years, large explosive eruptions occurred in between phases of milder effusive activity. From 3000 to 2000 years ago, most eruptions took place at the summit, while a large number of flank eruptions occurred during the past 2000 years, forming more than 100 flank cones. 
The last confirmed eruption of Mt Fuji took place in 1707 and was Fuji's largest during historical time. It deposited ash as far as present-day Tokyo and formed a large new crater on the east flank. Fuji-san has been regarded as sacred mountain for virtually as long as humans have lived nearby. It was originally a sacred mountain of the Ainu, the aboriginal inhabitants of Japan.

Saihō-ji (kyoto)

Saihō-ji is a Rinzai ZenBuddhist temple located in Matsuo, Nishikyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple, which is famed for its moss garden, is commonly referred to as "Koke-dera", meaning "moss temple", while the formal name is "Kōinzan Saihō-ji". The famous moss garden of Saihō-ji is situated in the eastern temple grounds. Located in a grove, the garden is arranged as 

 a circular promenade centered around Golden Pond.more commonly known as Kokedera , is one of Kyoto's Unesco World Heritage Sites. Entrance to this temple requirea reservation made well in advance by mail. Kokedera means Moss Temple, referring to the temple garden's estimated 120 different varieties of moss. Visitors to the temple can walk through this spectacular garden, which has strongly influenced subsequent Japanese garden design.

Liancourt Rocks

The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto (독도/獨島, literally "solitary island") in Korean, and Takeshima (たけしま/竹島, literally "bamboo island") in Japanese, Dokdo Island (also called Lian court Rocks by some nations and Takeshima by Japan) is 215 kms from mainland Korea and 250 kms from Japan proper. The nearest land mass is Korea’s Ulleung-do Island at about 87 kms away. The islets are visible from Korea’s Ulleungdo on fair days. The nearest Japanese territory Oki Islands is 157 kms away. Dokdo is never visible from Japan’s Oki Islands. 

 Korea

Taejongdae

Taejongdae is a natural park of Busan, South Korea with magnificent cliffs facing the open sea on the southernmost tip of island of Yeongdo-gu.

Taejongdae Park Busan is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Busan. There are plenty of things to do and it is the perfect location for family day trips or with friends.  At the very most southern tip of the Taejongdae there is an observatory along with coastal walking trails along the rocky cliff face and a light house. Through-out the island you find a temple, a gun shooting range, walking trails, hot springs, boat cruises, museums and plenty of restaurants offering very fresh fish. Taejongdae Park Busan offers some stunning views of the ocean from the cliffs. On a clear day you can see a Japanese Island called Daema Island (Tsushima Island).

You'll see a statue of a mother with her children called Mangbuseok (Rock of the Faithful Woman), after the legend of a woman who waited so long for the return of her husband, who had been captured by the Japanese and taken to Japan, that she turned to stone. The statue is located at what used to be called Jasal Bawi (Suicide Rock), where people used to throw themselves into the water. A temple, Geumyeongsa, was built here to prevent people from committing suicide and to console the ghosts of the dead. This is also the place where Taejong would come to pray for rain during a drought; rain on the 10th day of the fifth lunar month is called "Taejong Rain."

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/busan/A41596.html#ixzz2hGXKaayB.

BAENGNYEONG ISLAND

BAENGNYEONG ISLAND — About 190 kilometers northwest of the port city of Incheon sits a beautiful island called “Baengnyeongdo.”

Surrounded by crystal clear waters in which sea lions are sometimes spotted surfacing, this northernmost island of South Korea is reminiscent of the Mediterranean island of Corsica, according to visitors from France. The meaning of its name is "white wing island", since the island resembles a flying Ibiswith its wings spread.Given its proximity to North Korea, it has served as a base for intelligence activity by South Korea. Numerous North Korean defectors have also boated here to escape economic and political conditions in their homeland. In the recent past there have been several naval skirmishes between the two countries in the area, and Kim Jong-Unthreatened on 11 March 2013 to wipe it out.

Mt. Juwangsan  Juwangsan National Park is located in North Gyeongsang province, South Korea, and is part of the Taebaek mountain range. It was designated the 12th national park in South Korea in 1976. The total size of the park is 107.42 km. Mt. Juwangsan (721m), designated as National Park No.12 in 1976, is the smallest of the national parks in Korea. Mt. Juwangsan is not so steep, making it a great place to walk and enjoy the wonderful scenery. Mt. Juwangsan is also called Mt. Seokbyeongsan, Mt. Jubangsan and Mt. Daedunsan. There is a legend that King Juwon of Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) lived on this mountain after turning Silla over to Goryeo. This is where it got its name 'Juwang'. There is another legend that General Mailseong of Goryeo assassinated King Wuju, who was living here, with arrows and iron hammer.                                     CHINA Terracotta Army By John Roach Workers digging a well outside the city of Xi'an, China, in 1974 struck upon one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world: a life-size clay soldier poised for battle.The diggers notified Chinese authorities, who dispatched government archaeologists to the site. They found not one, but thousands of clay soldiers, each with unique facial expressions and positioned according to rank. And though largely gray today, patches of paint hint at once brightly colored clothes. Further excavations have revealed swords, arrow tips, and other weapons, many in pristine condition. The soldiers are in trench like, underground corridors. In some of the corridors, clay horses are aligned four abreast; behind them are wooden chariots.The terra-cotta army, as it is known, is part of an elaborate mausoleum.  According to writings of court historian Siam Qian during the following Han dynasty, Qin ordered the mausoleum's construction shortly after taking the throne. More than 700,000 laborers worked on the project, which was halted in 209 B.C. amid uprisings a year after Qin's death. "Terracotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection ofterracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Jiuzhaigou  (九寨沟 Jiǔzhàigōu)  is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan province in central China. It is officially known as Jiuzhai Valley in English. It is known as the habitat of giant pandas (although it is extremely rare to ever see a panda in the park) and mainly for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization. It is said that if there should be wonderlands on the earth, Jiuzhaigou Valley must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has scenery and fables of dreamlike  eloquence, or natural purity like a fairyland as it.

With some of the most beautiful and inspiring scenery on earth
 and some of the reserves scenic spots considered holy by the local 
Tibetan and Qiang people, it is no wonder a number of mysterious
 legends surround the wonderful landscape of Jiuzhaigou. Many people
 are drawn to the area for these reasons, and with the park open all 
year round the authorities have ensured that the fragile environment 
is sufficiently protected with a range of comprehensive facilities.