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

Irohazaka Road in fall, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

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, 2018‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’
Nov 15, 2019Mesmerizing murmuration
Nov 15, 2020What’s blooming in New Zealand?
Nov 15, 2021Manatee Awareness Month
Nov 15, 2022River otters at Acadia National Park, Maine
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Nov 15, 2024Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 18, 2023International Museum Day
May 28, 2020Old man s whiskers growing wild
Jul 24, 2022Amelia Earhart
Jul 16, 2022American goldfinch
Apr 5, 2020The frog prince?
Jun 11, 2023Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Apr 19, 2019Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park shines
Dec 13, 2019Taking the scenic route
May 14, 2026Pitigliano, Tuscany, Italy
Mar 7, 2026The Brocken, Harz National Park, Germany
Jun 3, 2020For the love of bikes
Mar 3, 2018Celebrating World Wildlife Day
Aug 8, 2025Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Apr 22, 2026Earth Day
May 31, 2019Mysterious prairie mounds abound
Oct 14, 2024Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day
Dec 4, 2019Protecting endangered giants
Jun 26, 2018Celebrating Madagascar on its Independence Day
Oct 11, 2025World Migratory Bird Day
May 20, 2018Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
Jan 22, 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
Jan 16, 2020In the valley of the doll
Jul 12, 2020A day to take a moment
Jan 31, 2020Dance of the egret
Feb 25, 2020Jazzed for Mardi Gras
Sep 28, 2021The snows of Fuji
May 28, 2019Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
Jun 8, 2020A day for the oceans
Aug 22, 2023Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia
Jun 7, 2019Holey moley–it’s National Doughnut Day!