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.

Imagine walking through a forest—only instead of trees, it’s a maze of colossal stone columns, each etched with sacred symbols, each one whispering stories from over 3,000 years ago. That’s the Temple of Karnak, a place where time folds in on itself and the divine still seems just a step away.