Visit Naypyidaw

The Thai kings’ glittering palace complex and the Emerald Buddha, all gold spires and mirrored mosaic.

The Temple of Dawn: a porcelain-encrusted riverside tower you can climb for views across the Chao Phraya at sunset.

Visit Mandalay, the last royal capital of Myanmar. Explore Mandalay Hill (a 240-meter hill with panoramic views and numerous pagodas), see the Mahamuni Buddha Temple (home to a revered 4-meter-tall Buddha image covered in gold leaf), and wander through the Mandalay Palace (a reconstructed royal complex surrounded by a moat and walls). Don't miss the U Bein Bridge (the world's longest teakwood bridge spanning 1.2 km over Taungthaman Lake).

Visit Yangon, the largest city and former capital of Myanmar. Explore the Shwedagon Pagoda (a 99-meter-tall gilded stupa housing relics of four Buddhas, dating back over 2,600 years), stroll through the colonial-era downtown area with landmarks like the Secretariat building (historic site of Myanmar's independence), and sample local street food such as mohinga (rice noodle fish soup) at Bogyoke Aung San Market.

Visit Bagan, the ancient capital of the Pagan Kingdom in Myanmar. Explore over 2,000 Buddhist temples and pagodas, including the iconic Ananda Temple (built in 1105 AD with four standing Buddha statues) and the massive Dhammayangyi Temple (largest temple in Bagan). Watch sunrise or sunset from a hot air balloon over the plains for breathtaking views, and visit the Shwezigon Pagoda (a gilded stupa that served as a prototype for later Burmese pagodas).

The "museum without walls": grassy royal burial mounds, the Cheomseongdae observatory and Silla-dynasty treasures across the town.

Japan's first capital: the Great Buddha of Todai-ji and 1,200 bowing deer in the park around it.

The Great Buddha sitting in the open air, Zen temples and a surf beach, an hour from Tokyo.