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.
Discover one of Tokyo’s Hidden Gems Last year I had the good fortune of staying at the Sokodo campground on Hachijojima Island. For a free campground, the facilities were second to none and even provided hot water showers. This time I have travelled...
Hiked on Mar 29, 2017 Dec 11, 2021 . Mt. Tenjo 天上山 Duration: 6 hours Distance: 10.6 km Elevation change: 540 metres Highest point: 572 metres Start: Tako Bay Campground Finish: Tako Bay...
Hunter-gatherer Cave on a Chichibu Mountainside On a recent outing to the ruins of the former Mitsumine Ropeway in Chichibu, Saitama we spotted what appeared to be a cave in the distance. Never to let a good opportunity pass we decided to make the...
Elevator Ride to the Base of the Dam It’s not often you get the chance to take a 121-metre (397 ft) elevator ride deep within the recesses of a working dam especially one perched high up in the mountains. But during a recent trip to the Takizawa Dam...
Greetings from the Chichibukozan Post Office It came to a grand total of 2 yen to send a postcard to myself – a prepaid one with an extra two-yen stamp to make up the shortfall. Why, you may ask? This is not something I generally do and almost...
Old Postcards Reveal Hakone 55 Years Ago Blessed with natural hot springs, Hakone has been attracting travellers since the Edo period. In those early years, visitors travelled there via the Tokaido Road which acted as a thoroughfare between Edo, as...
A case of being stuck next to the wrong neighbour Japanese Buddhist temples are generally places associated with worship and a space to enjoy a moment of quiet contemplation. It therefore seems odd that a temple would have ammunition on display in...
Beautiful Postcards Recall Lake Okutama’s Early Years During the second half of the Showa Period from the 1950s onwards Japan experienced remarkable economic growth with significant investment in large-scale infrastructure. In the Kanto...
Former Shibuya Municipal Water Towers Nestled in a quiet, upscale corner of Setagaya in Tokyo finds the Komazawa Water Towers which hail from the late Taisho period. The towers were completed in the March and November of 1923 the same year as the...
Japan Rescue Organization Hiking Accident Statistics One of the hazards of outdoor recreation such as hiking, camping, mountain biking or skiing is that it entails an element of risk. For solo adventurers such as myself, the level of risk is even...