Irohazaka Road, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan Nov 15, 2025

If you think the alphabet is straightforward, Japan"s Irohazaka Road in Nikko will twist that belief right out of you. Named after the old Japanese syllabary "Iroha", this mountain pass once had 48 hairpin bends—each curve matched to a character of the alphabet. Today, it"s a pair of separate one-way roads—one goes up, the other comes down and both make drivers feel as if they"re spelling out a story with every turn.

© oneinchpunch/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Nov 15, 2024Chiang Mai, Thailand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 20, 2024Pont de pierre, Bordeaux, France
Aug 31, 2026Sellin Pier, Rügen, Germany
Nov 11, 2023Val di Funes, South Tyrol, Italy
June 5, 2026Sarek National Park, Laponia, Lapland, Sweden
Dec 18, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, India
Apr 16, 2025Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Aug 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington, USA
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Sep 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Sep 8, 2025Library@orchard, Singapore
Dec 30, 2024Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Oct 7, 2025Autumn colours below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado, United States
Apr 23, 2026Common chiffchaff, Germany
Dec 23, 2024Two red-crowned cranes in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
June 4, 2026Snowy egret preening, central Florida, United States
Apr 24, 2024White trilliums in Ontario, Canada
May 13, 2026Arch and Milky Way, Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada, California, USA
Jun 14, 2024Peggys Cove Lighthouse, Canada
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Jul 22, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari
Apr 6, 2025The Shard, London, England
Jul 9, 2025Constitución railway station, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece