In most places, corn is just food. But in Mexico, especially among its Indigenous communities, corn—or maíz—is life, ancestry, memory, and god. Welcome to the Sacred Corn Festivals, where ancient traditions still sing the praises of the golden grain.

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.