In this November 18, 2015 photo, 9-year-old Mahiro Takano, center, three-time Japan karate champion in her age group practices in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Mahiro stars in singer Sia's latest music video "Alive", the just-released single from the singer's upcoming album. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Students in Aone’s elementary school during break in between the class on April 9, 2015. The school has only six students, two of whom are from the same family. Similarly small schools can be found throughout Japan. (Photo by Ko Sasaki/The Washington Post)

People view live owls at, Owl's Forest which is located on the bottom floor of a building along a bustling street in the Harajuku area on Friday November 04, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. Visitors can pet owls at the business. It is located next to one of Tokyo's many cat cafes. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

At the end of rice harvesting season, the folks of the Kagawa and Niigata Prefectures in Japan hold a straw festival to celebrate the abundance of the harvest. Dried straws cover wooden frames to form larger-than-life sculptures from animals like sharks and gorillas to vessels such as ships and tanks. The family-friendly event invites visitors of all ages to engage, interact, and play on the enormous structures.

A man enters an adult amusement establishment in Shinjuku's nightlife district of Kabukicho in Tokyo, August 27, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A child in colorful kimono walks at Tokyo's Asakusa district on the occasion of Shichigosan celebration Thursday, October 22, 2020. The festival celebrates children aged three, five and seven for their well-being. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Grand champion Hakuho (front) barely defeats Daieisho on the first day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on March 14, 2021. (Photo by Kyodo News/Newscom/Profimedia)

Kimono-clad women from Thailand take selfies among blooming cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan on March 27, 2021. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)