A woman wearing a traditional Hanbok dress visits the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds in Seoul on October 23, 2023. A woldae terrace for public rituals and ceremonies in front of Gyeongbok Palace’s Gwanghwamun gate was restored and opened to the public earlier this month, after being removed in 1923, during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

In this Thursday, March 28, 2019, photo, a “golden giant burger” is served at a restaurant of Hotel Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Tokyo. The $900 wagyu (Japanese-produced beef) burger was unveiled to commemorate the era change. What’s in a name? Quite a lot if you’re a Japanese citizen awaiting the official announcement Monday, April 1, 2019 of what the soon-to-be-installed new emperor’s next era will be called. It’s a proclamation that has happened only twice in nearly a century, and the new name will follow Emperor Naruhito, after his May 1 investiture, for the duration of his rule, attaching itself to much of what happens in Japan. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)

Amezaiku is the Japanese craft of lollipop-making, which dates back to the 700s when artisans made mouth-watering and artistic lollipops to be presented as gifts. Carrying on the tradition is 26-year old Shinri Tezuka, the owner of a small shop in the Asakusa district of Tokyo called Ameshin.

Ribbonesia is a modern ribbon company created by Japanese artist Baku Maeda. The word “ribbon” and ‘modern’ is an understatement when describing Ribbonesia because these are more like life-size modern sculptures made with satin and silk. I wouldn’t be shocked if he starts creating apparel in the near future.

A statue of a Japanese Akita dog named “Hachiko” wearing a face mask is seen near Shibuya Station Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for Tokyo and six other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the new coronavirus. Hachiko has waited for his owner University of Tokyo Prof. Eizaburo Ueno at the same place by the station every afternoon, expecting him to return home for nearly 11 years even after Ueno's death at work. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Dhofar Region, Oman. Much of Oman is desert, but the Arabian Sea coast in the Dhofar region represents a startling difference in climate. This coastal region catches the monsoon rains, or khareef, during the summer months. Drenching rains fall primarily on the mountainous ridge that separates the lush, fertile areas along the coast from the arid interior, recharging streams, waterfalls and springs that provide plentiful water supplies in the fertile lowlands for the remainder of the year. Image taken by Landsat 5 on April 2, 2005. (Photo by USGS/NASA)

A Sri Lankan child uses an inflatable tube to wade through floodwaters after heavy rains in Biyagama suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 06 June 2021. Many parts of the island have been inundated due to heavy monsoon rains. According to the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Center, at least 14 people have been killed so far and more than 245,212 people affected across the country. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE)

Pedestrians look at the wreckage of a vehicle lodged in a storm drain on a street in Abidjan on June 19, 2018, in which a man was reportedly found dead after floodwaters receded following an overnight downpour in the city. Fifteen people have died in Abidjan, Ivory Coast' s economic capital, during flooding caused by torrential rain overnight, Interior Minister Sidiki Diakite said. Rain poured down overnight on June 19, causing flash floods up to 2.5 metres (more than eight feet) deep, he said. (Photo by Sia Kambou/AFP Photo)