Out of Eden Walk

08/30/2025

Getting close. Country road to Tokyo on a 1400 km walk through Japan.

Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000 km walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors. 👣

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

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08/30/2025

🗣 Carolyn Beeler, host of The World: Paul, sometimes when I’m on a reporting trip, I meet someone and we kind of connect right away. And I get the sense that we could really be friends if we were in the same place for a longer period. Have you ever felt the beginnings of a real friendship forming, only to have to say goodbye the next day?

🗣 Paul Salopek: Yes, yes. I don’t want to exaggerate, but I would say that’s almost daily with me. I meet people who are often very kind and very curious about the world. You can tell they’re people who would make a good neighbor. As the years go by and I say “Hello, hello, hello” to more and more people, I’m also saying “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,” Carolyn, to many more people. And I must say it does not get easier.

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🎙 From public radio program The World: “For more than a year and a half, The World has been checking in with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about his global trek along early human migration routes.

Salopek’s multi-year Out of Eden Walk project has taken him to many corners of the world, mostly on foot.

‘People are my destination,’ Salopek told The World.

That project is built on the conversations that Salopek has with the people he meets along the way. The World was curious about the conversations he doesn’t write about, the small talk and what the people he meets want to know about him.

Salopek joined The World’s Host Carolyn Beeler to share more.”

🎧 Listen to or read along with the full conversation between Carolyn Beeler and Paul Salopek at the link: https://theworld.org/stories/2025/08/22/small-talk-on-the-eden-walk

This conversation is part of an ongoing series of stories about the Walk produced by The World in collaboration with the Out of Eden Walk nonprofit organization and National Geographic Society.

📷 Pictured: People walk along a street in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Lex Weaver / The World

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08/24/2025

✍️ “On the stretch from Sagamiko to Chofu, I came to a rest area called Shiroyama, where the breathtaking view of snowcapped Mount Fuji captivated me. No wonder artists through history have been drawn to translate this scene onto their canvases. Nearby, I saw a young woman marveling at the mountain, snapping countless photos. I thought, How incredible! We’re both admiring the same mountain yet experiencing it so differently. Wearing impractical heels, she’d likely driven here effortlessly, while I was witnessing the same spectacle after walking a thousand kilometers. Even if I shared stories of my journey with her for hours, my emotions and the depth of meaning attached to my appreciation of Mt. Fuji in front of us could never truly be conveyed. It struck me like a bolt of lightning: Even within the same reality, we all exist in parallel universes, each with unique interpretations that are difficult to share. Two people can share the same experience, yet one may find joy while the other sees sadness. The meaning we assign to our experiences is profoundly influenced by our expectations and current frame of mind.”

—Tomonori Tanaka, “Landscapes of Uniqueness, Inner and Outer, on a Walk Through Japan”

🔗 Read the full text of this new Out of Eden Walk contributor story, which was written by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka, who joined Paul on the trail in Japan: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/landscapes-of-uniqueness-inner-and-outer-on-a-walk-through-japan

🥾 Tomonori Tanaka was born in Tokyo in 1974. A well-known skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer, and freelance photographer, his work and lifestyle emphasize a deep connection with nature.

Pictured: Snowcapped Mt. Fuji, seen from Shiroyama, is captivating.

📷 Photo by Tomonori Tanaka.

🥾 Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.

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08/23/2025

✍️ “What once had seemed burdensome morphed into moments of joy and astonishment that often surpassed any previous expectations. As I continued walking, I learned to pay closer attention to everything around me, realizing that each moment held the potential for bliss. I allowed my perspective to expand, as if I’d activated an internal scanner, enhancing my sensitivity to, and clarity about, the world. My senses sharpened, I grasped the emotional significance of every visual stimulus that caught my eye—much as the flickering flames of a campfire draw me in. The crashing sound of a waterfall awaking a visceral connection; the solitude of ancient stones at a shrine giving profound peace. I reveled in the simple beauty of a flower blooming on an abandoned road, beauty no eyes take in. I embraced each experience—good or bad—as a vital thread in my unfolding life-story. Free from judgment, I welcomed with gratitude whatever came my way. I let it all in.”

—Tomonori Tanaka, “Landscapes of Uniqueness, Inner and Outer, on a Walk Through Japan”

🔗 Read the full text of this new Out of Eden Walk contributor / guest story, which was written by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka, who joined Paul on the trail in Japan: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/landscapes-of-uniqueness-inner-and-outer-on-a-walk-through-japan

🥾 Tomonori Tanaka was born in Tokyo in 1974. A well-known skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer, and freelance photographer, his work and lifestyle emphasize a deep connection with nature.

Pictured: Beautiful roadside flowers in Iwakuni, Yamagata Prefecture, seem to be cheering Tomonori Tanaka and Paul Salopek on.

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

🥾 Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.

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08/23/2025

✍️ “My destination was my childhood home in the buzzing Azabu district of Tokyo. I began walking with Paul but ultimately finished on my own. After an incredible trek of nearly 1,100 kilometers over 70 days from the southern city of Yamaguchi, I entered Tokyo chatting with a friend in the USA via FaceTime. He eagerly asked, ‘How does it feel to reach the finish line today?’ To my surprise, I felt no rush of excitement. Instead, I realized this adventure had never been solely about moving from point A to point B. I’d found purpose in the journey itself.

While climbers often celebrate reaching the summit, I discovered that the true fulfillment of any quest lies in the moments of discovery along the way. I embraced freedom of movement without specific goals. Previously, I’d set targets—like nailing a skateboarding trick or finding perfect snow for boarding—but now I reveled in the joy of pure exploration.”

—Tomonori Tanaka, “Landscapes of Uniqueness, Inner and Outer, on a Walk Through Japan”

🔗 Read the full text of this new Out of Eden Walk contributor story, which was written by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka, who joined Paul on the trail in Japan: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/landscapes-of-uniqueness-inner-and-outer-on-a-walk-through-japan/

🥾 Tomonori Tanaka was born in Tokyo in 1974. A well-known skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer, and freelance photographer, his work and lifestyle emphasize a deep connection with nature.

Pictured: Tomonori Tanaka’s childhood playground—and early exposure to nature’s glory—in the residential neighborhood of Azabu, Tokyo.

Photo by Tomonori Tanaka.

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08/21/2025

Pictured here in a photo by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka, Paul Salopek imbibes the scent of a eucalyptus, one of the trees in Hiroshima known as hibakujumoku that survived the atomic bombing 80 years ago.

🔗 Read an Out of Eden Walk contributor story written by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka, “Landscapes of Uniqueness, Inner and Outer, on a Walk Through Japan” at this link: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/landscapes-of-uniqueness-inner-and-outer-on-a-walk-through-japan/

✍️ Tomonori Tanaka was born in Tokyo in 1974. A well-known skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer, and freelance photographer, his work and lifestyle emphasize a deep connection with nature.

🔗 Learn about the trees in Hiroshima known as hibakujumoku in “Trees of Life,” Paul Salopek’s recent story from the trail: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/trees-of-life

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08/17/2025

✍️ “At 50, I wanted to explore a new world and a fresh passion. I’d experienced Western extreme sports and adventure subcultures—skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing, and taking photographs—learning about the world through physical activities and expressing myself visually. So meeting Paul Salopek felt like winning a million-dollar lottery. A stroke of incredible luck.

Paul’s invitation to ‘walk through Japan together’ offered experiences that were the opposite of my previous endeavors—going slowly where previously speed was rewarded, engaging with the people along the way where previously I was self-absorbed, drawing out their stories, and igniting my curiosity to the fullest. It would be a journey of thought and heart through the almost ‘primitive’ act of walking. Paul is first and foremost a writer, and he motivated me to shift toward articulating my thoughts through words.”

—Tomonori Tanaka, “Landscapes of Uniqueness, Inner and Outer, on a Walk Through Japan”

🔗 Read the full text of this new Out of Eden Walk contributor / guest story, which was written by Walking Partner Tomonori Tanaka: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/landscapes-of-uniqueness-inner-and-outer-on-a-walk-through-japan/

🥾 Tomonori Tanaka was born in Tokyo in 1974. A well-known skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer, and freelance photographer, his work and lifestyle emphasize a deep connection with nature.

Pictured: Railway tracks make for comfortable rambling in the area around Shobara, north of Hiroshima, Japan.

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

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08/12/2025

✍️ “The famous Nakasendo Road tethered Edo, present-day Tokyo, to the imperial capital at Kyoto.

For more than 300 years, starting in the early 17th century, its hundreds of kilometers of flagstones funneled trade and political authority through inland Japan. I imagined noblewomen traveling in uchikatsugi, veiled limpet hats. Villagers bent under yoked baskets. Tradesmen and pilgrims. Mounted samurai. Sixty-nine post towns pegged off its route. The trailside lodgings were segregated by social class.

Walking partner Soichiro Koriyama, guests Akihiro Yamamoto and Katsuki Suzuki, and I followed the Nakasendo Road for a week. It unspooled through green river valleys wedged between sharp snow peaks. It puttered along farm tracks. It turned into barren highways. One day it tricked us. Though marked clearly on a map, it was nowhere to be seen. Bewildered, we glanced about us, panting and sweating in a steep bamboo thicket. This was because the Nakasendo’s ghost had seeped away. It coursed 60 meters under our boots in a tunnel dug through the heart of a mountain.”

—Paul Salopek, Milestone 107

👣 Every hundred miles, Paul pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer.

🥾 On day 4,391 of the Walk, at mile 10,850, Paul recorded Milestone 107 near Miyanokoshi, Japan.

🔗 To read more about these waypoints and to explore Milestone 107: Japan’s Famous Road, visit this link: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/milestone-107-japans-famous-road📍

🥾 Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

Image description in comments.

08/09/2025

👣 Every hundred miles, Paul pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer.

🥾 On day 4,391 of the Walk at mile 10,850, Paul met Setsuko Chimura, 77, a retired local administrator.

Paul Salopek: Who are you?

Setsuko Chimura: I used to supervise programs in the mayor’s office. I ran a kindergarten. Now I’m just gardening.

Paul Salopek: Where do you come from?

Setsuko Chimura: I was born here. When I was a little girl all these roads were still dirt.

Paul Salopek: Where are you going?

Setsuko Chimura: At my age? (She points to the sky.) Maybe next I’m going to heaven.

🔗 To read more about these waypoints and to explore Milestone 107: Japan’s Famous Road, which was recorded near Miyanokoshi, Japan, click here: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/milestone-107-japans-famous-road

🥾 Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

Image description in comments.

08/08/2025

🎧 From public radio program, The World: “Aug. 6 marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. The blast destroyed two-thirds of the Japanese port city, instantly killing about 140,000 people. The focus at memorials in Hiroshima is on the lives lost, but there are also visual scars in the city, testaments to survival: 159 trees that were nearly vaporized in the blast but have grown back over the past 80 years.

For National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek, the survivor trees in Hiroshima are living symbols of the city’s history.”

An excerpt of the conversation between The World’s host Marco Werman and Paul Salopek is included here:

🎙️ Marco Werman: Set the scene for us in Hiroshima. What does this area of the city look like?

🔈 Paul Salopek: The whole downtown, they call the Hypocenter, where the bomb fell, is a series of interlocking peace parks, memorial parks. So, they’re green spaces. And there’s one ruined building that has been left standing, his famous domed building, as a monument to the blast that occurred back in 1945.

🎙️ Marco Werman: And the trees, are they kind of scattered throughout these peace parks, or just one of them?

🔈 Paul Salopek: Yeah, no, they’re scattered throughout, including in some streets beyond. I mean, you just see this big old tree standing there, and often they’re leaning; sometimes they have scarred surfaces, their trunks are scarred from the heat of the blast. But, they all have a little monument marker because they’re national monuments in Japan, each one of these 159 trees.

🔗 Listen to or read along with the full conversation at the link below.

This story is part of an ongoing series of stories about the Walk produced by The World in collaboration with the Out of Eden Walk nonprofit organization and the National Geographic Society.

When the Japanese city of Hiroshima became the site of the first-ever use of a nuclear weapon in war, two-thirds of the city was destroyed. Today, it's a lively city of over a million people. And scattered throughout are 159 trees that were nearly destroyed in the blast, but have since grown back to...

08/07/2025

Visitors to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, pictured, leave offerings at the Genbaku Dome, the only structure left standing near ground zero of the atomic bombing of the city in World War II. As many as 140,000 people perished in the detonation.

✍️ “Japanese are obliged to study the cataclysm of Hiroshima in the pages of schoolbooks, and those of a certain age recall it through an old manga comic called ‘Barefoot Gen.’ And of course, about 100,000 very aged and rapidly dwindling Japanese survivors called hibakusha know it through the hole it blew in their lives.

‘I picked up small talk in my family about the bombing, but like it was an abstract news event,’ said Kazuhiko Futagawa, 79, a hibakusha who experienced the shock waves of August 6, 1945, as an eight-month-old fetus inside his mother’s womb. Futagawa’s father and 13-year-old sister were vaporized in the radioactive firestorm that leveled two-thirds of Hiroshima. ‘I wasn’t told any of my own story until I was about eighteen.’

For decades, he said, survivors like himself kept their stories private to avoid the ignorant stigmas of being damaged goods, mutants. ‘People didn’t dwell on it,’ Futagawa said, shrugging. ‘They wanted to live happier. Look ahead.’”

— Paul Salopek, “Trees of Life”

🔗 Read the full text of “Trees of Life,” Paul’s recent dispatch from the Out of Eden Walk trail: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/trees-of-life

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

📍Hiroshima, Japan
34°24′0″N 132°27′33″E

Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.



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08/06/2025

Peace activist Kuniko Watanabe, pictured, holds a 1945 photo of the destruction of Hiroshima by the U.S. atomic bomb against its modern backdrop—including a gnarled eucalyptus tree that survived the blast. Japan honors 159 such botanical survivors as national monuments.

✍️ “Little was expected to survive the 4,000-degree Celsius flash near the bomb’s hypocenter. Ultimately, between 70,000 and 140,000 people didn’t. But a few trees within the blast radius miraculously lived. Splintered and scorched, reduced to charred stumps, they sprouted shoots after ‘black rains’ fell from the mushroom cloud. Japanese call these botanical miracles hibakujumoku, or ‘A-bombed trees.’ Exactly 159 remain in the city.” —Paul Salopek, “Trees of Life”

🔗 Read the full text of “Trees of Life,” Paul’s recent dispatch from the Out of Eden Walk trail: https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org/trees-of-life/

📷 Photo by Paul Salopek.

📍Hiroshima, Japan
34°24′0″N 132°27′33″E

Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer walk across the world in the footsteps of our ancestors.



Image description in comments.