Who I Am
I’m John. I focus on documenting time-sensitive natural phenomena and the changing relationship between people and land in Japan’s rural landscapes.
Mission
I observe the natural world to better understand how ecosystems change, and how people can remain meaningfully connected to them.
Much of this work is shaped by rural depopulation and land abandonment. In some places, nature returns. In others, biodiversity declines as landscapes that once depended on careful human presence fall out of balance. It's my goal to understand these transitions, and help native biodiversity thrive.
I also believe part of the answer lies in helping people who genuinely want to care for these landscapes find them. Not everyone. Not everywhere. But the right people, in the right places, with realistic expectations. That's a form of conservation too.
On Content
I love learning about the "why" of wild spaces. Some of what I share comes from my own fieldwork, and some is curated by other skilled creators to add context, timing, and perspective.
If you're thinking about living in Japan, I've built a short Japan Type guide that helps match your lifestyle, climate tolerance, and community expectations to places you would actually enjoy living.
Related Project
Alongside this work, I'm building Earth Exhibit, a separate project and app focused on rare natural phenomena, seasonal wildlife events, and ecological moments around the world.
It explores the same ideas at a global scale: attention, timing, and respect for place.