Imagine this: you're standing in a quiet plaza in the steamy town of Papantla, Veracruz. The scent of sweet tamales drifts through the air. A tall pole—nearly 30 meters high—rises above the trees. Flutes start to play, slow and haunting. And then… men begin to fly.

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.