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

Irohazaka Road in autumn, 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

You otter check this out
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Nov 15, 2024Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 7, 2025North American beaver, Moran, Wyoming, United States
Staying in the loop
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
An endless stretch of sky
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Sep 28, 2024Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, USA
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Nov 10, 2025Black-tailed prairie dogs in Badlands National Park, United States
Spiralling upward...
A day for giving
Nov 13, 2025Quiver trees, Keetmanshoop, Namibia
May 18, 2024Natural History Museum, London, England
A road not for the faint of heart
Aug 3, 2025Blooming sunflowers
Stealthy pollinators
Jun 4, 2025Cala Luna beach, Sardinia, Italy
Teddy bears of the sea
One rare streak
Pearl among the emeralds
A beautiful labyrinth
Nature’s blue wonder
Solo on the savannah
The lord of all beginnings
Keep practicing, little guy
Sep 13, 2023Hemakuta Hill, Hampi
Sep 18, 2023Milky Way over Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park
Mar 6, 2024Wahclella Falls, Oregon, USA
More of a moustache than a beard?
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
Oct 12, 2025Village of Saranac Lake, New York, United States