UNESCO lists Kobushi mountains spanning Tokyo and three other prefectures as biosphere reserve
UNESCO on Wednesday added the Kobushi mountain region, which straddles part of Tokyo and three other prefectures, to its list of biosphere reserves, Japanese officials said. As of July last year, 686 areas in 122 countries have been designated as biosphere reserves — areas for ...
A secluded mountain region that was thought to be free of plastic pollution is in fact blanketed by airborne microplastics on a scale comparable to a major city, such as Paris, alarmed researchers reported Monday. Over a five-month period in 2017-2018, an average of 365 ...
A 64-year-old Japanese man has fallen to his death on a popular trekking route in western Nepal, officials said Thursday. Masashi Nagasawa, who was on an 11-day Annapurna Sanctuary trek with three other Japanese nationals, fell from a cliff Wednesday while returning to his hotel ...
Even Mount Fuji climbers who don't plan to push for the summit will be asked to pay up
Even hikers who have no intention of reaching the summit of Mount Fuji will be asked to make a donation of ¥1,000 for stepping foot on the country's highest mountain from this summer, local prefectures said Thursday. Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, which the 3,776-meter-high volcanic ...
Hopes dim for finding missing Italian and British climbers on Pakistan's 'killer' peak
Hopes dimmed for two climbers, from Britain and Italy, who went missing in northern Pakistan on a peak known as "killer mountain" as helicopters failed to spot signs of the mountaineers Monday, an army aviation official said. Climbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi were last ...
Over 10 people feared 'buried' in avalanche at Swiss ski station
An avalanche at a ski station in the Swiss Alps buried several people on Tuesday, regional police said, as local media reported that more than 10 people may have been covered. The avalanche on the Plaine-Morte ski track in Crans-Montana in southern Valais canton occurred ...
Yuichiro Miura, an 86-year-old Japanese alpinist and professional skier, has given up on his attempt to conquer the 6,959-meter Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America, on doctor's orders, his office in Tokyo said Monday. "I was confident that I could climb to the ...
China's Baishui No. 1: One of the world's fastest-melting glaciers
A loud crack rang out from the fog above the Baishui No. 1 Glacier as a stone shard careened down the ice, flying past Chen Yanjun as he operated a GPS device. More projectiles were tumbling down the hulk of ice, which scientists say is ...
Number of fatal accidents linked to seasonal mushroom picking on the rise, police say
Japan is seeing an increase in the number of deaths related to mushroom picking, after extreme summer heat and heavy rain produced a rich crop of the seasonal delicacy this year. Many mushroom hunters, mainly elderly people, tend to go into remote areas deep in ...
Snowstorm kills at least eight South Korean climbers in Nepal
At least eight climbers from a South Korean expedition have died on Nepal's Mount Gurja after their camp was devastated by a violent snowstorm, officials said Saturday. The bodies of eight climbers — four South Koreans and four Nepali guides — were spotted among the ...
Dream comes true for South Korea's Moon Jae-in as he treks Mount Paektu with Kim Jong Un
There is no more sacred place in North Korea than Mount Paektu — and getting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to such a spot is a propaganda coup unlike any other. After Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged new steps aimed at ...
A global environmental threat made in China
From large-scale dam-building to unbridled resource-exploitation, human activity is causing serious damage to Himalayan ecosystems.
