Imagine a place where the Earth hisses, belches sulfur, and constantly exhales white plumes of steam into the sky. A place where black eggs are boiled in volcanic springs and eaten to gain extra years of life. Welcome to Owakudani—one of Japan’s most unusual and naturally hostile locations, and one that feels like it sits right at the edge of the spirit world.

There are beach towns, and then there’s Saint-Tropez—a glittering speck on the map of southern France that somehow manages to be both an A-list playground and a charming Mediterranean village at the same time. It’s the kind of place where you can sip rosé on a mega-yacht next to Leonardo DiCaprio—or stumble upon a quiet boulangerie tucked into a pastel alleyway.