Cleaner Kazuyoshi Taguchi and colleague Kazumi Minowa (not pictured) clean the right ear of the Ushiku Daibutsu giant Buddha statue in Ushiku of Ibaraki Prefecture on September 9, 2024. The 120-metre giant Buddha statue which stands northeast of Tokyo on Monday received an annual “soot removal” by veteran cleaners of more than 20 years. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
