This month’s photograph was taken late one afternoon during one of my favourite hikes ever. In November 2025, I started climbing Mount Aso at 8 a.m. Mount Aso is on the island of Kyushu in Japan. I was severely underdressed because the temperature changed quite dramatically between the place where I was staying and the top of the volcano.

Regardless of the circumstances, I was determined to hike around the volcano for as long as possible and see some of its magnificent landscape. There were several routes I could take, so when I arrived, I looked into the options and chose the Mount Nakadake and Mount Takadake Loop. However, I planned to approach it with one caveat: I would hike as far as possible and try to make it back in time for the last bus.

The hike to the top of the crater was not permitted that day because the fumes were toxic and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. Climbing to the top would have risked exposing me to the gases.

The Mount Nakadake and Mount Takadake hike started off fairly flat. At first, I essentially walked around the crater, but then the trail suddenly climbed steeply towards a high ridge that I would follow. The further I climbed, the more convinced I became that it would be a great location for sunset or, at the very least, that it was worth taking my time rather than rushing the hike.

That decision did not come without consequences. If I chose not to rush, I would need to hike back to the train station instead of taking the bus. This would add another three hours to the hike, and, as a reminder, I was already severely underdressed.

The further I hiked along the route, the more convinced I became that I should simply take my time.

Then, at around 3 p.m., one hour before the last bus was due to leave, I realised that I was no longer going to make it, no matter how hard I rushed. 

With that prospect, I convinced myself that I might be able to meet people that could take me back to the train station. Not much later, I came across two people on the same route who both lived in London. What a coincidence. I asked them how they planned to get back to the train station, assuming that they would also miss the last bus. They seemed very unbothered. When I asked for clarification, they explained that they had their own car.

Luckily, they were happy to drop me off at the train station. This saved me an additional three-hour hike and allowed me to catch the last train back to the town where I was staying.

We continued hiking the loop together. At some point, the clouds began to open up, casting patches of light across the vast terrain in front of me. I loved the depth this gave the landscape. It made the scenery look mysterious yet calm. The contrast between the shadows and the highlights not too harsh. 

I took the photograph, and we began descending the steepest section of the trail. By the time we reached the bottom, the sun was very low in the sky and the atmosphere had begun to feel otherworldly, as if we were walking on another planet. As quickly as this dreamlike feeling appeared, the view disappeared into darkness.

The landscape was mesmerising, and the adventure I had set for myself stayed with me long afterwards.