Search Continues for American Tourist Who Vanished in Kyoto Mountains

Jun 06, 2026 | News On Japan

KYOTO - A 20-year-old American man has been missing while traveling in Kyoto since leaving his hotel after an argument with his family and going his separate way, with his location services later turned off and security camera footage showing him heading toward a mountainous area as police continued their search.

The missing man has been identified as Higginbotham James West, a U.S. citizen with long blond hair and blue eyes who was visiting Japan with his family.

According to police, West left a hotel in Kyoto alone at around 6 p.m. on May 29th. Two hours later, multiple security cameras captured him walking in Kyoto's Yamashina Ward, with footage indicating he was heading toward a mountainous area.

His family reported him missing to police the following day and has since launched a public appeal for information through social media and international media outlets.

"It really is a nightmare," West's mother said. "Everything feels unreal."

She explained that the family had been exchanging messages with West after he left the hotel, repeatedly asking where he was and what he was doing. She said his location-sharing service was later switched off, marking the last time the family was able to determine his whereabouts.

Speaking to U.S. media, West's parents said the disappearance followed what they described as a minor family disagreement.

"We had a small argument and decided to spend some time apart," his mother said, adding that the family had spent nearly a week sharing a small hotel room during their trip.

West's father said he believes his son disabled the location service because family members were contacting him frequently.

"I think he wanted some time alone," his father said. "For him, hiking trails and being out in nature are places where he feels calm."

Police carried out searches in the area over three days through June 5th but had not located West as of Friday.

West is approximately 185 centimeters tall and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring a bee design, light purple trousers, and carrying a beige bag.

Yamashina Ward is not generally known as a bear hotspot, although black bears have been sighted in the ward's mountainous areas in the past, including a recorded sighting in 2023. [see kumamap.com

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kyoto Prefectural Police's Higashiyama Police Station at 075-525-0110.

UPDATE: Missing American Tourist Found Dead in Mountains Outside Kyoto

Source: FNN

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