Japanese police and volunteers have spent a week searching for 20-year-old American college student James “Weston” Higginbotham, who vanished after hiking alone into a forested trail east of Kyoto City.
Weston arrived in Japan with his family from the U.S. on May 25. The family spent time in Tokyo before reaching Kyoto. On May 29, while his parents and 18-year-old brother visited a temple, Weston chose to sightsee alone and shared his location via the Life360 app.
Security footage and location data show Weston left the family hotel around 6 p.m., boarded a train at Kyoto Station, and exited Yamashina Station at about 8 p.m. He was last seen walking in the Yamashina neighborhood wearing a gray “Save the bees” T-shirt, brown pants, and a shoulder bag. His final location ping was on a path leading to a hiking trail into the mountainous forest east of the city.
At 8:29 p.m., Weston switched off location-sharing on his phone — something his mother, Nancy, said he had “never done before in such situations.” Prior data showed he had stopped at a home supplies store after leaving the hotel. By 2 a.m. he had not returned or contacted his family, prompting them to report him missing.
The family described Weston as an experienced outdoorsman and solo traveler who has hiked alone in Europe. “It’s not unusual for Weston to blow off steam going to the woods and just exploring. That’s his happy place,” Nancy said. She remains hopeful he is simply lost.
But hope is tempered by weather. A powerful storm swept through the region earlier this week, making mountain trails and rivers more dangerous than usual.
Police are treating the case as a missing person incident with no signs of foul play. They have deployed helicopters and police dogs, while local volunteer groups have joined ground searches. Weston had about 10,000 yen in cash when last seen and none of his credit cards have been used since May 29.
The family’s plea has drawn support online in Japan:
“I hope they find him soon.”
“I work as a delivery driver, so I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for him.”
“Please, please be safe.”
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Kyoto Prefectural Police. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo is also assisting the family. [Rewritten report from Japan Today]
