“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)

An aerial view shows the Amazon rainforest at the Bom Futuro National Forest near Rio Pardo in Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, September 3, 2015. The town of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people in the Amazon rainforest, rises where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago. Loggers first cleared the forest followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Brazil's government has stated a goal of eliminating illegal deforestation, but enforcing the law in remote corners like Rio Pardo is far from easy. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

A mother prays for success for her child in the college entrance examinations at a Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea, November 12, 2015. About 630,000 students on Thursday sat for the annual exams that could lead them to one of the country's top universities. In South Korea, there is no higher achievement than to be accepted by a prestigious university. As a result, many students prepare for these entrance exams from an early age, often studying up to 16 hours a day for years to take this test. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

An Airbus A380 aircraft prepares to land at Mumbai airport in this May 8, 2007 file photo. Sentiment at some of Asia's biggest firms deteriorated again in the fourth quarter, falling to a four-year low under the weight of concerns about slowing growth in China, the region's biggest economy, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. (Photo by Arko Datta/Reuters)

Hotel staff demonstrates “Lantern Dining Experience”, which enables diners to enjoy meals while protecting themselves against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Hoshinoya Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan, February 2, 2022. The lantern-shaped transparent partitions are created by Japan’s traditional craftsman and guests staying at the hotel who pay 30,000 yen (about 260 USD) as venue charge can invite others to dine with them under the partitions. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Medical staff in Belgrade, Serbia on February 5, 2021. Vaccination of employees in the city's social protection institutions has begun at the Belgrade Fair, who have expressed interest in receiving the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, and according to the city secretary for social protection Natasa Stanisavljevic, about 150 employees in those institutions will receive the vaccine today and tomorrow. (Photo by Zoran Zestic/Tanjug)

A woman pushes a child aboard a plastic basin as they wade through floodwaters brought about by Super Typhoon Noru on September 26, 2022 in San Miguel, Bulacan province, Philippines. Super Typhoon Noru made landfall in the Philippines overnight, causing widespread flooding and leaving at least five dead. High winds and heavy rains have flattened villages and have increased the threat of landslides. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

A child wades through floodwater brought about by Super Typhoon Noru on September 26, 2022 in San Miguel, Bulacan province, Philippines. Super Typhoon Noru made landfall in the Philippines overnight, causing widespread flooding and leaving at least five dead. High winds and heavy rains have flattened villages and have increased the threat of landslides. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)