David Lowe

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.

The North Face Ultra Guide GTX Review

A Performance Trail Running Shoe from The North Face Trail running shoes provide a nice contrast to the rugged and heavy leather boots which accompany me on multi-day hikes. For day hikes and of course trail running I prefer the simplicity of a...

Montbell Warm Up Sheet Review

A lightweight mesh sleeping bag liner After purchasing my lovely new Nanga sleeping bag last year I decided the best way to keep it in pristine condition was to pair it with an inner sheet. Sleeping bag liners are an ideal way to add a little extra...

What are the Best Outdoor Survival Blankets?

Heat reflective emergency blankets, mylar blankets or space blankets have been around for the seemingly decades and were originally developed by NASA in 1964 for the US space program. As a young fella I distinctly remember carrying one around in my...

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Compass

A Guide to Selecting a Compass Without question becoming lost would have to be one of the most unsettling and frightening things that can happen on the trail. Bad weather may present unexpectedly or you may do all the right things but somehow still...

Casio Protrek PRW-3000 Watch Review

Introducing the Triple Sensor, Ver. 3 Casio Protrek PRW-3000 In the era of mobile and smart phones it’s probably not unsurprising to read that I have not worn a watch for more than ten years now. The downside however is when you have to rely on a...

Hiking Trails Now Embedded on Maps

Waypoints Successfully Embeded! For sometime now I considered a drawback of this site was the failure to provide schematic hiking routes. I have now addressed the issue by manually embedding waypoints onto each map using WP Google Maps a WordPress...

Mt. Ougiyama 扇山

Hiked on Dec 28, 2013    Aug 23, 2023 . Mt. Ougiyama 扇山 – Mt. Momokurasan 百蔵山   Duration: 6 hours   Distance: 13.4 km   Elevation change: 824 metres   Highest point: 1138 metres   Start: Torisawa Station (Chuo Main...

The year in review

Looking Back on the Year The main impetus for getting this blog started was frustration with the lack of information in English on hiking trails around Tokyo. Over the past year I have relished the opportunity to document my experiences and realised...

The Long-Forgotten Tokyo Peace Pagoda

A Chance Upon at the Tokyo Peace Pagoda To expect the unexpected is something I have come to cherish about my ventures into the mountains and to discover that Tokyo is home to a long-forgotten Peace Pagoda was definitely one of them. The glistening...

Mt. Mito 三頭山

Hiked on Dec 12, 2013    May 5, 2024 . Mt. Iyo イヨ山 – Mt. Nukazasu ヌカザス山 – Mt. Mito 三頭山   The floating bridge near the Ogouchi Jinja Bus Stop is temporarily closed due to the declining water level of Lake Okutama. For the...

Nanga 380 DX Sleeping Bag Review

Great Sub 700g Sleeping Bag With an ever expanding range of sleeping bags to choose from the difficulty arises when researching to buy a new one. This was the conundrum I faced a few months back while searching for a new 3 season bag. Even narrowing...

Mt. Ryokami 両神山

Hiked on Oct 31, 2013    Aug 23, 2023 . Hinata Ooya 日向大谷 – Mt. Ryokami 両神山   Duration: 2 days   Distance: 10.3 km   Elevation change: 1093 metres   Highest point: 1723 metres   Start: Hinata Ooya Bus Stop...

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