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.

Some lakes invite swimming. Some invite photography. But Lake Usori? It whispers. It beckons. It waits. Nestled in the caldera of an ancient volcano at the foot of Mount Osore in Aomori, this eerie, otherworldly lake has long been believed to be a gateway to the afterlife.