May 8, 2025, Tokyo – Shinbashi geishas practice under their instructors’ watchful eyes ahead of the 100th Azuma Odori performance at Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre. A rare sight in modern Japan, these few remaining geishas move gracefully across the wooden stage, offering a glimpse into a long-misunderstood tradition.(Photo by Caroline Gardin/AFP Photo)
May 23, 2025, Kyoto – Shrine maidens gather plums at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. The fruit will be preserved in salt, dried, and sold to visitors as ofuku-ume by year’s end.(Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
May 25, 2025, Minamisoma, Fukushima – Participants dressed as samurai compete in a horseback race during the annual Soma-Nomaoi festival, a centuries-old tradition in northeastern Japan.(Photo by Kyodo News/Newscom via Avalon)
May 28, 2025, Shirakawa, Gifu – Women hand-plant seedlings with UNESCO-listed Gassho-style thatched houses in the backdrop, blending agriculture with cultural heritage.(Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
May 31, 2025, Tokyo – Andie Ella, founder of Milia Matcha, briefs employees before the store’s launch. Matcha, meaning “ground tea,” is a vibrant green powder traditionally whisked with hot water or mixed into lattes.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
June 4, 2025, Tokyo – Crowds traverse a bustling shopping district crossing, a snapshot of daily life in the capital.(Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)
June 5, 2025, Tokyo – A customer holds the newly released Nintendo Switch 2 at an electronics store as sales begin worldwide.(Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)
June 5, 2025, Tokyo – Patrons savor grilled dishes at a barbecue restaurant in Tokyo’s Asakusabashi district.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
June 8, 2025, Gotemba, Shizuoka – A JGSDF V-22 Osprey participates in exercises at East Fuji Maneuver Area. The drills follow PM Shigeru Ishiba’s call to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP.(Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
June 8, 2025, Tokyo – Vibrant participants march in the Tokyo Pride parade, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.(Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
June 15, 2025, Osaka – Dancers parade on the final day of a two-day festival hosted by six Tohoku prefectures at the World Exposition.(Photo by Kyodo News cia Alamy Live News)
June 19, 2025, Tokyo – Pedestrians walk through cooling mist on a sweltering summer day.(Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP Photo)
June 29, 2025, Minamitane, Kagoshima – An H-IIA-50 rocket carrying a greenhouse gas and water cycle observation satellite lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center.(Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
May 28, 2025, Chiba – Real estate consultant Kazutoshi Kodama examines a stigmatized property where two deaths occurred years apart.(Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
June 30, 2025, Tokyo – A senior officer inspects troops ahead of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s arrival at the Ministry of Defense.(Photo by Richard A. Brooks/AFP Photo)
July 1, 2025, Tokyo – A trader monitors stock prices at a securities firm as Japan’s market reacts to global economic trends.(Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)
June 6, 2025, Tokyo – Jugetsudo manager Shigehito Nishikida prepares matcha, noting its explosive popularity over the past decade.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
July 7, 2025, Tokyo – Sales clerks in traditional yukata greet shoppers at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, embracing summer customs.(Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP Photo)
July 9, 2025, Tottori – Visitors admire sand replicas at an exhibition themed “Traveling the World with Sand and Japan,” running until April 2026.(Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
July 10, 2025, Tokyo – A visitor enjoys a misting fan near Sensoji Temple during the annual Japanese lantern plant festival.(Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
