Photos

Admittedly not the best shot I've ever taken, but this bamboo saved my life. I had just taken a train to one of the last stops on the outer reaches of Tokyo. Where I landed was mostly trees and the temperature was in the lower 40s (Fahrenheit). Great day for an adventure.

As I wandered away from the train station the ground started to angle down because this was Japan and all the forests sit on the sides of mountains. After a while I was moving though a thicket of bamboo taking pictures. There was no one around for miles which is great for snapping shots, bad if you lose your footing, (which I did).

The brush gave way under my feet and I began to slide. About 20 feet away was a drop that hung a good 50 feet over a river of near freezing water. I reached for anything that would stop my fall. I was able to grab onto a stalk of bamboo with a few feet to spare.

While I sat there catching my breath I took a picture of the tree that just saved me.