James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old engineering student at Auburn University, went missing after hiking alone near the Yamashina area in Kyoto, Japan, on May 29 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Weston left the family hotel alone after lunch that day and took a train to Yamashina, where he was last seen on CCTV wearing a "Save the Bees" T-shirt and purple corduroy pants around 8 p.m. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. His phone location tracking showed activity until about that time, then stopped, leaving authorities unsure of his whereabouts [5, 6, 7]. At that point, he had about 10,000 yen (around $62.50) and his phone battery was at 34% [5].
Weston is described as 6'1" with long blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing white Adidas sneakers with black stripes and carried a shoulder bag decorated with an Alabama outline [6, 7]. His family has said he was emotionally upset after an argument with his mother Nancy, related to the family's use of AI tools like ChatGPT during their trip. They report Weston wanted to hike alone for some personal time and left after bickering [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Nancy Higginbotham described the fight as "really dumb" and said, "It's not an abnormal thing to want time. When you're 20, you're an adult. You can do that" [1, 7].
The family arrived in Japan on May 22 to celebrate Weston's younger brother's high school graduation [5]. Weston is an experienced hiker with skills in survival, studying biosystems engineering focused on sustainability [1, 2, 3, 4, 6].
Search efforts involve around 50 Japanese police officers, civilian volunteers, K-9 units, helicopters, and the FBI working together on the ground and by air [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. They have faced challenges, as a strong typhoon hit the Kyoto area starting around June 4, hampering operations [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]. Nancy has shared emotional updates on Facebook calling for kindness and support, saying, "We are in our own living hell. He is not detained from a night out partying. The police have confirmed this. Please, I beg you, be kind. I'm already in so much pain." [6]
The family postponed their originally planned June 4 return flight to Alabama to continue assisting with the search in Japan [1, 2, 3, 4]. As of June 5, search teams persist despite weather obstacles and continue seeking any sign of Weston [6].
