Some cities whisper their stories through quiet alleyways. Montreal doesn’t whisper—it sings, dances, flirts, and occasionally yells across a bustling street in French. This island city in Quebec is where North America meets Paris, where centuries-old stone buildings rub shoulders with experimental art, and where maple syrup meets espresso.

In the snowy wilds of Japan's Yamagata Prefecture, where winter wraps the land in an icy hush, something eerie stirs in the Zao Mountains. As the temperature drops and the storms rage, the trees on these slopes begin to transform—until they no longer look like trees at all.