Lachlan Smith, Silver grass above Tsurugi (LANDSCAPE & ENVIRONMENT 2025)

Wild silver grass growing on the slopes of Mount Kuragatake overlooking the town of Tsurugi in central Japan. This photo was taken shortly after Japan reopened to the world following their long Covid shutdown. The only sounds on top of the mountain were the rushing wind, the occasional clank of the gondola, and the gentle whisper of a field of silver grass skirting the summit.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.