07/06/2026
His name was Weston Higginbotham. He was 20 years old. He was an experienced hiker. And he came to Japan, to the mountains.
Weston was last seen on May 29 entering the Higashiyama mountain range from Yamashina Station in Kyoto. His mother spent days appealing to hikers, trail runners, and locals across the world to help find her son. The search expanded across trailheads, forest paths, and remote sections of the range.
"We are asking experienced hikers, trail runners, outdoor groups, and locals familiar with the area to help search trails, wooded areas, and remote sections of the mountain range." — Weston's mother
Yesterday, he was found.
We share Japan's beauty with the world every day. Today we pause to acknowledge that these mountains , these beautiful, ancient, silent mountains, can also take from us. That reality deserves our full honesty, our full grief, and our full respect.
To Weston's mother, his family, and every person who searched for him: we are so deeply sorry. The love you showed for him crossed every border.
Weston, may you rest in the peace of these mountains you came so far to find.
