“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)
A damselfly sits on a leaf at a garden in Nagaon district in the northeastern state of Assam, India, on October 3 , 2023. (Photo by Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
Dressed in traditional make-up and costume a woman participates in the celebration for the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 30, 2021. Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. (Photo by Richard Vogel/AP Photo)
Gabriel Berendo, a businessman and car enthusiast, drives a casket converted into a car on Sunday May 31, 2020 in Cebu city, central Philippines as he goes around streets to remind residents to stay at home as lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus eases next week. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)
British puffin mid-flight with a beak full of small fish, their favourite foods being sand eels, herring and hake in Farne Islands, United Kingdom in June 2022. These pint-sized creatures are just 12 inches in height and have a wingspan of 25 inches. (Photo by Mathijs van Lisdonk/Media Drum Images)
An urban Opossum covered in light snow visits a suburban Chicago deck on December 10, 2025. (Photo by H Rick Bamman/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)