The name itself is thrilling enough! The Hell Valley of Hokkaido in Japan is a true sight for curious eyes. If your travel experience hasn’t given you anything extraordinarily unique yet, add this spot in your bucket list. Sitting on an onsen town powered by volcanic activities, this valley provides multiple hiking trails amidst various volcanic features. To experience the heightened adventure of moonlit mystery, pack up your courage and head to the valley after dark.

The Valley

The onsen town Noboribetsu is located about 100 km southwest of Sapporo city and is famous for nine different types of hot springs. Sitting just above the town, Jigokudani Valley is a uniquely special spot to eyewitness the source of all the volcanic activities of the onset town below. Aptly named as ‘Hell Valley,’ Jigokudani contains sulfurous ponds and streams with more than 50 degrees of temperature, several geysers, hot steam vents, and other volcanic features.

The Night-Time Experience

In the daytime, the valley becomes lively with flocking tourists, and their camera clicks. But, when the night begins to settle, the valley gradually starts to become peacefully silent yet frightening, like a mysterious celestial landscape, only magnified by bright moonlight. Take one of the trails through the valley under the moonlight, and you will feel like walking on an alien land or fantasy drama set. But to be the lucky one to have that nighttime experience, first, you have to opt for the special guest package from the hot spring hotel Noboribetsu Sekisuitei.

The Hotel

Hotel Noboribetsu Sekisuitei is a large and multi-disciplinary hotel, providing a range of services suitable to every choice. It includes an onsite ramen shop, beauty salons, and karaoke bars. But the special feature of the hotel is its beautiful ‘rotenburo’ and the large public indoor bath, both full of warm waters sourced by Jigokudani hot springs. To go for the night tour, the visitors will need at least a one-night booking in the hotel.

Hieroglyphics are more than just intricate paintings – they are one of the earliest forms of writing. Their true meaning has been unclear to many for years. However, you could become a hieroglyphic expert on your next trip to Egypt, thanks to Google.

A Part Of The App

Google’s Art and Culture App is set to grow as more features become available. One of the many tools is Fabricius that was released in honor of the day the Rosetta Stone was discovered. This precious stone helped decipher hieroglyphics for the first time ever.

In The Early Stages

This is the first time any kind of hieroglyphics translator has been developed, meaning that Fabricius is still in the early stages. However, Google is hopeful that it will soon become more than a desktop app and become a part of people’s everyday lives. Perhaps a phone app is on the cards?

Adding To The System

For now, users upload photos of their hieroglyphics to the app to help train the machine in how to decode each image. This then provides a hieroglyphics translation. It’s thought there are around 1,000 hieroglyphics, so each photo that’s uploaded means the machine can get quicker and quicker at deciphering the code.

Make Your Own

Believe it or not, but Google has also made a feature that allows users to create their own hieroglyphics. Although the company says it’s only for fun, it might not be long before people become a hieroglyphic expert. The best bit? It’s not just Egyptologists that can make use of the fantastic new technology.

Whoever would have thought that we could be a hieroglyphic expert? Our next trip to Egypt could be even more special than ever. Understanding the hieroglyphics found around the country could open up an entirely new world that many of us have never been able to understand before.