THE best friend of the American student who went missing on vacation in Japan has revealed the unanswered text he sent as the search for him continues.

James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, went missing in Kyoto after he ventured off on his own to blow off steam following a disagreement with his mother.

Weston Higginbotham smiling in a cave while wearing a white shirt and backpack.
James “Weston” Higginbotham vanished on a trip with his family to Japan after going to explore on his ownCredit: gofundme
 

Weston Higginbotham and a friend smiling, with the friend giving a thumbs-up.
Hiyu Shikari met up with Weston and his family for dinner in Japan a few nights before his disappearanceCredit: Hiyu Shikari
 

A screenshot of two text messages, the first thanking for the stay in Japan and offering help, and the second asking how the stay in Kyoto is going.
Hiyu shared a photo of his last text exchange with Weston, including a text that went unansweredCredit: Hiyu Shikari
 

Weston Higginbotham and his family sit on a wooden bench outside a traditional Japanese building.
Weston and his family, who are from Alabama, took a trip to Japan to celebrate his brother’s high school graduationCredit: Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham
Hiyu Shikari, 20, who met up with Weston in Japan just days before he vanished, spoke with The U.S. Sun, revealing the message he sent, checking in on his friend after he disappeared.

Weston, his mother, father and brother took a trip from Alabama to Japan to celebrate his brother, Grayton’s high school graduation.

Hiyu and Weston went to school together in the US before Hiyu moved to Japan and hadn’t seen each other since middle school.

Hiyu met up with the family in Tokyo on May 22, with Nancy Higginbotham, Weston’s mother, sharing a video of their reunion on Instagram.

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Hiyu, Weston and Grayton could be seen happily hugging one another as stopping for dinner with the old friend “was first on the agenda,” Nancy said.

“We had such a great time at a restaurant in Shinjuku, which is in Tokyo,” Hiyu told The U.S. Sun.

“Right after that, I tried to contact him on how he was doing in Kyoto, because I was in Kyoto a couple of weeks ago, and also the typhoon was coming as I was kind of worried, and I messaged him, ‘How’s the trip going?’ And that was after he went missing.

“And so I didn’t get any contact with him after I met him.

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“I’ve been doing what I can to spread awareness.”

Hiyu shared screenshots of his text messages with Weston with The U.S. Sun, which revealed he told his friend to enjoy his time in Japan and to reach out if he runs into any problems.

Weston reacted to the text with a heart.

On Monday, Hiyu texted his friend, “Good evening! How’s the stay going? Hopefully yall are having a good time in Kyoto! Lmk [Let me know] if you need me to recommend you any places [sic].”

Weston Higginbotham and a friend smiling.
Weston and Hiyu have been friends for several years and went to school together in the US before Hiyu moved to JapanCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
 

Man and woman sitting together on a couch.
Weston’s parents Nancy and Keith Higginbotham have asked for help in spreading the word of their son’s disappearanceCredit: Instagram
 

James "Weston" Higginbotham lying on a couch with a white dog resting its head on his chest.
Weston is a 20-year-old college student at Auburn University where he studies environmental engineeringCredit: Instagram
 

James Weston Higginbotham, who went missing in Japan, is shown smiling with his arms crossed.
Weston is believed to have been last seen near the mountainous forest area near Yamashina, KyotoCredit: Reuters
That text message did not appear to deliver to Weston’s cellphone and went unanswered.

Hiyu said he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with his friend, whom he hadn’t seen in around seven years, and said he seemed excited about the vacation.

“I saw him as a best friend, a brother. He was such a nice friend and when I first met him, I felt like nothing has changed. He’s gotten taller, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.

“We talked about politics, we talked about AI, we talked about a lot of things that’s going on in the world.”

Illustration of a map of Kyoto, Japan, detailing the timeline and search area for a missing student, James "Weston" Higginbotham.

Nancy revealed to CNN that the family vacation had become tense a few days after dinner with Hiyu after Weston, an environmental engineering student at Auburn University, butted heads with her over her use of ChatGPT to navigate their trip.

Weston decided to explore Kyoto on his own while his family visited a temple on Friday to get some space.

“It’s not unusual for Weston to blow off steam going to the woods and just exploring,” Nancy said.

“That’s his happy place. I’m thinking … he’s just off in the woods, and he got lost.”

A helicopter flying in a cloudy sky above a house with an antenna.
A massive search effort has been launched for Weston, including helicopters in the air and police officers and K9 teams on the groundCredit: Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham
 

Missing person flyer for James "Weston" Higginbotham, an American male, 20 years old, 185cm/6'1" with blonde, long hair and blue eyes, last seen in Kyoto.
A missing person poster has been shared for the American studentCredit: Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham
 

A family of four, including missing student Weston Higginbotham, smiles for a photo while seated at a restaurant table.
Nancy said her son got on a train by himself while the family visited a templeCredit: Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham
 

People commuting in heavy rain, carrying umbrellas, in Kawasaki, Japan.
A typhoon hit Japan in recent days, which made search efforts difficultCredit: AFP
The family keeps track of one another’s locations through the app Life360, which has helped reveal Weston’s last steps before his location was turned off and he disappeared.

Weston got on a train and stopped by a few stores, making a purchase at a hardware store.

He took a train from the Kyoto station around 8:15pm to the Yamashina station, a roughly five-minute train ride.

At 8:29pm, his phone lost network, with police believing he was last seen in the Yamashina area, a ward of Kyoto.

A massive search involving police officers, K9 teams and helicopters has taken place daily since Weston went missing.

Nancy pleaded with locals on Friday to help join in the search for her son after police released a new map with areas that they have already searched.

“Hikers, trail runners, and outdoor enthusiasts — we urgently need your help,” she wrote on Facebook.

“Our 20-year-old son, Weston Higginbotham, remains missing. He was last known to have entered the mountainous forest area near Yamashina, Kyoto.

“We are asking experienced hikers to help search outside of the marked search zone, particularly in the surrounding mountains and remote trails.”

Nancy has said in the past that Weston is a “very experienced hiker” and may have “intentionally chosen” to travel a quiet trail.

Nancy advised those willing to help in the search to be aware of the steep and rugged terrain surrounded by a heavily wooded area.

A typhoon rocked Japan in recent days which has made the search efforts difficult.

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Nancy said on Thursday that police walked through waist-deep mud during their hours-long search efforts.

SOURCE: THE SUN

https://www.the-sun.com/news/16460472/weston-higginbotham-missing-japan-yamashina-friend-last-text/