Irohazaka Road in fall, 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, 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:

Feb 6, 2019Watch your step
Nov 17, 2024Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scottish Highlands
Jul 7, 2021Back on the rise
Feb 11, 2022harlem
Oct 24, 2019Bridge of Hillsborough County
Nov 4, 2022A century since Tut s tomb was discovered
Dec 22, 2025The Nutcracker performed by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Türkiye
Aug 17, 2019The buzz about bees
Apr 6, 2026Castle Day Japan
Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
May 13, 2018Happy Mother’s Day
Mar 6, 2026The Wave, Vejle, Denmark
Mar 22, 2021Honoring some real heroes of World War II
Feb 17, 2019Flock online for the Great Backyard Bird Count
May 23, 2018Everybody loves World Turtle Day
Dec 9, 2025National Llama Day
Nov 25, 2021Happy Thanksgiving
Feb 24, 2020Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
Apr 7, 2018The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
Mar 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth in cecropia tree, Costa Rica
Jan 1, 2019New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun
Jun 20, 2023American Eagle Day
Jul 23, 2026Pink dahlia flower
Sep 1, 2018Let the Highland games begin
Jun 11, 2018A Great view from above
Jun 9, 2019Crown Fountain by Jume Plensa at Millennium Park in Chicago
Jan 12, 2019Sailing across the ice
Jul 1, 2019It’s Canada’s national day
Sep 14, 2023Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
Sep 23, 2023Autumnal equinox