“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 Kenyan acrobatic member of the Mighty Jambo Circus Academy performs a stunt during their training routine at the academy in Nairobi, Kenya, 13 January 2021. (Photo by Daniel Irungu/EPA/EFE)

Residents wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus sit in a passenger pick-up on a street in Rawalpindi on March 13, 2020. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi/AFP Photo)

Miss Alaska Emma Broyles, center, reacts after being crowned Miss America at Mohegan Sun, Thursday, December 16, 2021, in Uncasville, Conn. (Photo by Jessica Hill/AP Photo)

A couple wearing protective masks take a picture of a rose on Valentine's Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 14, 2022. (Photo by Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters)

This shot, which was announced the winner by the on December 2, 2022 came top in the People and Nature category of the British Ecological Society’s Capturing Ecology photography competition. (Photo by British Ecological Society)

A train passes as floodwaters from the Tule River inundate the area after days of heavy rain in Corcoran, California, U.S., March 22, 2023. (Photo by David Swanson/Reuters)

An aircraft flies past sculptures of dinosaurs at the “Valley of Animals” park in Chandigarh, India on November 9, 2019. (Photo by Vijay Mathur/AFP Photo)