David grew up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, with hiking and outdoor pursuits being a major part of his life for as long as he can remember. He has been writing, snapping photos, and sharing his adventures on RIDGELINEIMAGES.com since 2013.
At university, David majored in environmental management and holds a Graduate Diploma of Education. He has been living in Japan for over 15 years, first in Fukushima Prefecture and now in the Tokyo Metropolis. With a love of hiking and photography, he felt the best way to combine the two was a blog to provide some inspiration for others to enjoy the myriad of trails and outdoor offerings on Tokyo’s doorstep. You can follow David on Instagram @ridgelineimages.
Final Roll Call for these Rural Saitama Schools Abandoned buildings are commonplace in rural villages across Japan but a certain sadness must come when a school bell rings a final time. School closures serve as a veritable canary in the coal mine as...
What’s in a Name: Daisen vs. Oyama Reading the correct kanji for a particular mountain or any uncommon place name for that matter would arguably be the most challenging aspect of the Japanese language. Most kanji have at least two readings:...
Vestiges from the Old Japanese Army Chofu Air Base Surrounding Chofu Airport in western Tokyo finds several remarkably well preserved Second World War concrete aircraft hangars. Two of these shelters lie adjacent to one another whilst a third one is...
Experiencing Sayama Hills at Dawn One nice thing about living in burbs of western Tokyo is Tama Lake and the surrounding 3,500 ha Sayama Hills. In fact, for nature starved Tokyoites it’s probably largest recreation area within 30 km (18.5 mi.) of...
Early Morning Summit Assault on Tokyo’s Finest Even in shoddy weather Mount Takao sees a hefty share of day-trippers while on good days the summit can get so jam packed as to make you wish you hadn’t bothered. Today’s mission was to find out...
A Building Resolute with the Passing of Time A derelict 1930s electrical substation resting blissfully in the middle of a suburban park isn’t something that you would normally expect to find; less one ravished by gunfire from the Second World War...
Relax and Unwind at these Secluded Spots With a population exceeding 13 million residents, the Tokyo Metropolis easily ranks as the most populous of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Area wise it lies third from the bottom, resulting in a limited amount...
Okutama at its Finest: Mitsugama Falls In short, there are few more beautiful places in Okutama than the Unasawa Valley. The main drawcard are three waterfalls which snake their way along the Unasawa Creek downhill of Mount Odake. The hiking course...
Capturing Oze in the Late Autumn Oze National Park which encompasses Japan’s largest mountain wetlands stretches across four prefectures including Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma and Niigata. From mid-May, through to early October the marshlands are...
Hiked on Oct 20, 2016 Sep 3, 2020 . Ozegahara Marsh 尾瀬ヶ原 – Lake Oze 尾瀬沼 – Sanpei Pass 三平峠 Duration: 2 days Distance: 24.4 km Elevation change: 169 metres Highest point: 1760 metres Start:...
The Biggest Cypress Tree in Tokyo This remarkable tree in Okutama on the outskirts of Tokyo traces its ancestry back to the Muromachi era around 600 years ago, though some have estimated its age closer to 1,000 years. Either way the Kurasawa...
The Source of Japan’s Longest River All great rivers need to start from somewhere and Japan’s longest – the 367 km (228 mi) long Shinano River is no exception. The difficulty arises however when trying to pinpoint the actual source of a river...