Shibuya Nights

A wet shiny night at Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest in the world. Tokyo, Japan

Niseko Boarding

Fresh tracks snowboarding down Mt Niseko with Mount Yōtei in the background. Yōtei-zan, literally "sheep-hoof mountain", has not erupted since circa 1050 BC. Hokkaido, Japan.

Suburbia Tokyo Style

A small part of Tokyo, Japan

Snow Monkey

Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey. Jigokudani Yaenkoen, Japan

Powderhound

Snowboarding through deep powder. Asahi-dake, Hokkaido, Japan

Robot Restaurant

There is nothing quite like the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Japanese Ema

Fat cats adorn wooden wishing plaques at a shinto shrine in Tokyo. The plaques are known as Ema 絵馬, translated as 'picture horse', and are intended to bring luck to the person who hangs them. These plaques funnel a long tradition that started during the 8th century Nara period where people donated horses, seen as the “vehicles of gods”, to the shrines to assist with their prayer. Over the subsequent years due to the financial cost of horses, the tradition shifted first to pictures of horses on wood, and eventually to pictures of other animals. Tokyo, Japan.

Winter Peace

Nature sleeps through winter unperturbed by the world around it. The silence, the stillness, and the monochromatic visual surrounds all combine to reduce sensory input and provide an overwhelming feeling of calm when travelling through a winter forest. The sense of quiet comes from the high porosity of loosely packed crystals of freshly fallen snow which trap sound waves. Asahi-dake, Hokkaido, Japan

Asahidake Onsen

Some memories are so sublime they become etched into your consciousness. This quiet Japanese hot-springs village, sits 1100m above sea level in the far north of Japan, and is the perfect place for some peaceful reflection. Asahidake Onsen, Taisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan.

Adventure Boarding

Adventure is out there for those who seek it. Backcountry snowboarding through deep powder. Asahidake, Taisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan

Snow Monkey Bath

Japanese Macaque or snow monkey takes a bath in the hot springs that feed into the valley of the Yokoyu-River at Jigokudani Yaen Kōen. Literally meaning "Hell's Valley", Jigokudani was named after the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground which is surrounded by steep cliffs. Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Yotei

Mount Yōtei or Yōtei-zan, literally "sheep-hoof mountain", has not erupted since circa 1050 BC. Due to its resemblance to the more famous Mount Fuji, it is often called Yezo Fuji or Ezo Fuji with "Ezo" being an old name for the island of Hokkaido. Hokkaido, Japan.

Japan Alps Foothills

Looking over the endless foothills which spawn from the side of the Japan Alps. Japan is an extremely rugged and mountainous country with ~73% of its total land mass covered by mountains, a comparable level to Norway. As the mountains are heavily forested the forest cover rate is also extremely high at ~69%. The only other developed nations with such a high forest cover percentage are Finland and Sweden. Hakuba, Honshu, Japan

Japan Alps

Winter is fast approaching in the northern hemisphere; can’t wait to hit the slopes. This shot is looking over some of the endless backcountry in the Japan Alps. Japan is an extremely rugged and mountainous country with ~73% of its total land mass covered by mountains, a comparable level to Norway. Hakuba, Honshu, Japan

Asahidake Powder

Snowboarding through deep powder in Asahi-dake, Hokkaido, Japan

Japanese Macaque

A shot of a Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey that was engaging in some serious eye contact with my camera. It was taken at the hot springs (or onsen) that feeds into the valley of the Yokoyu-River at Jigokudani Yaen Koen. Literally meaning "Hell's Valley", Jigokudani was named after the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground which is surrounded by steep cliffs. The valley sits at an elevation of 850 meters. Other than humans the Macaque is the primate that lives in the coldest climate and survives in winter temperatures down to -15 °C. In japan the species is known as Nihonzaru. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as raijū sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company. The "three wise monkeys", which warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil", are carved in relief over the door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō. Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

The Emperors Door

"If you feel you have to open a particular door, open it, otherwise all your life that door will haunt your mind!" - Mehmet Murat İldan. The door to the emperors’ palace. Tokyo, Japan.

Tokyo Tower

I took this shot a couple of weeks ago from a hotel bar in Shinagawa. It's looking North towards Tokyo Tower (332.9 metres or 1,092 ft). At the time of construction in 1958 Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world, taking the title from the Eiffel Tower by 13 metres. Depending on where you draw the boundaries there are between 9 million and 38 million people living in Tokyo. The population of the special inner wards is over 9 million people, with the total population of Tokyo prefecture coming in over 13 million. When combined with the surrounding areas the prefecture forms part of the world's most populous metropolitan area of 37.8 million people.

Looking across to Mt. Goryu (2,814m or 9,232 ft) from Mt Sobatsubu in the Japan Alps . I was recently passing though Tokyo and ducked out to the alps on the bullet train to catch up with a very old friend of mine from my rock climbing days. He now runs the beautiful White Silver Hakuba lodge with his wife. It’s an epic base to hit up the nine ski resorts in the valley. The Hakuba area receives over 10 meters of snow per year with 135 lifts accessing over 200 runs and a heap of backcountry. Japan is one of the most mountainous countries in the world with ~73% of its total land mass covered by mountains (a comparable level to Norway). Hakuba, Honshu, Japan

Fujisan and Tokyo

In the dozen or so times I have been though Tokyo I have only seen Fujisan once! This last trip the sky was clear so I headed up the sky tree to grab this shot looking over Tokyo. Mount Fuji or Fujisan is the highest mountain in Japan 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). Honshu Island, Japan

Japanese Snow Forest

Snow forest in Hokaido, Japan.