Welcome to a place where the line between the living and the dead feels paper-thin. A place where mist clings to the rocky earth, the air stings with sulfur, and volcanic vents hiss like whispers from beneath the ground. This is Mount Osorezan, often translated as the “Mountain of Fear,” one of Japan’s most spiritual—and strangest—destinations.

If you ever find yourself in the mountains of Guerrero during a village festival, don’t be alarmed if you see a man in a jaguar mask leaping at another dressed as a farmer swinging a whip. You haven’t stumbled into a surreal jungle nightmare — you’ve entered the world of the Tlacololeros.