“Touring the Koko-en Gardens adjacent to the Himeji castle was an unexpected highlight of our visit”, wrote Jeff Solar, 64, of Silver Spring, Md., about his trip to Japan. “The fall colors were outstanding and the gardens were both amazing and a bargain (just a few Yen added to the cost of the Himeji Castle admission)”. (Photo by Jeff Solar/2017 Washington Post Travel Photo Contest)

Revelers jump on a rainbow painted crosswalk in Church Street, Toronto's LGBT neighbourhood, before “WorldPride”, a gay pride parade, in Toronto, June 29, 2014. Toronto is hosting WorldPride, a week-long event that celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Reuters)

“Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in Japan and China from around 960 AD. and recorded from other places throughout the world”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A cormorant raised by a fisherman catches a fish on a canal on November 27, 2007 in Xitang Town of Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

A view of a Van Gogh-inspired hot air balloon being inflated during the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga province, north of Manila February 12, 2015. According to the organizer, a total of 32 hot air balloons are part of the four-day event. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

A young girl sells balloons by the Yamuna River as devotees carrying idols of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, immerse the idol on the last day of the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Delhi, India, September 15, 2016. (Photo by Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

Lali carries balloons to sell on a beach in Mumbai, India, Sunday, October 11, 2015. The United Nations General Assembly marks October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. (Photo by Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo)

People walk past a sculpture entitled “Reunion” by artist Sam Jinks at a preview of the Melbourne Art Fair in Melbourne on August 1, 2018. The sculpture is made of silicone, pigment, resin and human hair. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

A pink grasshopper is spotted at the Messingham Sand Quarry in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, UK in the second decade of July 2023. The dazzling creature is incredibly rare, with experts estimating that a person has a chance of about 1 per cent of seeing one in their lifetime. (Photo by Calvin Taylor Lee/Animal News Agency)