Over 100 shrines dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu-Omikami are placed in this sacred space in Japan. It was built around 4 BC. Legends claim that the goddess chose this site for herself thousands of years ago due to its peacefulness and isolation. The shrine holds several spiritual and sacred objects that are of great importance, like the Sacred Mirror or Yata no Kagami.
Svalbard Seed Vault
If there’s a need to make use of this place – it means that an apocalypse has taken place and we’re all doomed. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a seed bank located on Spitsbergen, an island that belongs to Norway. It is located in the middle of the Arctic and situated close to the North Pole.
The vault stores multitudes of seeds in the chance that a global catastrophe wipes out most of the earth’s crops. Currently, it has about 864,000 distinct seeds and the space to hold up to 4.5 million. It houses 1/3 of the world’s most important food crop seeds inside of it.
Fully Computerized
The vault is built 390 feet deep into a sandstone mountain. No permanent staff is employed there and there is not a single person who has all the codes necessary to get inside the structure. These seeds will be kept safe for an estimated couple hundred years, and a study carried out to test the feasibility of the vault has suggested that the seeds can even be preserved for a couple thousand years.
The seeds are each stored in a three-ply foil packet sealed with heat to ensure that no moisture can enter. It’s fully computerized and is monitored remotely. The vault opens only to special visitors and for the few days a year when it receives new seeds.
Only for Royals
Don't waste your time trying to sneak in to see the inside. The only people granted admission are priests and priestesses of the royal family. Plus, you’d be up against the Japanese military and an intense-looking fence.
The public can see the thatched roofs of the shrine. The structure is destroyed and rebuilt every 20 years, in accordance with the Shinto belief of death and rebirth.
Surtsey
Just off the coast of Iceland, there is a volcanic island called Surtsey. It was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions. It has been the subject of scientific research for years, as the island has evolved from a volcanic landscape that was absolutely barren of life, to a place where plants and animals are now thriving.
Due to its significance to scientific research, people are prohibited from visiting the island.