ILEA000337871: Hello Kitty convention to be held in Los Angeles

Sapporo Snow Festival

SAPPORO, Japan, Feb. 4 Kyodo - People view a snow sculpture of a cake on Feb. 4, 2026, the opening day of the 76th Sapporo Snow Festival in the capital of Hokkaido in northern Japan. About 2 million people are expected to visit the event through Feb. 11 featuring more than 200 snow and ice sculptures. (Kyodo)

[Breaking News]Bean-throwing event in Kyoto

KYOTO, Japan, Feb. 3 Kyodo - Maiko traditional Japanese entertainers scatter roasted beans during a Setsubun bean-throwing event at Yasaka shrine in Kyoto, western Japan, on Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo)

Traditional bean-throwing event

NACHIKATSUURA, Japan, Jan. 27 Kyodo - A traditional bean-throwing event is held at the World Heritage-listed Fudarakusan-ji temple in Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 27, 2026, for Setsubun celebration in February. (Kyodo)

[Breaking News]Icefall festival in Hokkaido

KAMIKAWA, Japan, Jan. 25 Kyodo - An icefall festival begins in Kamikawa in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Jan. 24, 2026. The annual event, featuring about 10 ice sculptures lit up in seven colors, will run through March 8. (Kyodo)

Geiko, maiko in Kyoto start work in 2026

KYOTO, Japan, Jan. 8 Kyodo - Geiko traditional entertainers and their Maiko apprentices, wearing formal attire, greet each other ahead of a ceremony in Kyoto on Jan. 7, 2026, marking their first business day of the year. (Kyodo)

New Year flower arrangement event

KYOTO, Japan, Jan. 5 Kyodo - Ikenobo Senko, headmaster-designate of the Ikenobo school of Japanese ikebana flower arrangement, demonstrates the art during a New Year ceremony in Kyoto on Jan. 5, 2026. (Kyodo)

Kanji for "bear" chosen as best to characterize 2025

KYOTO, Japan, Dec. 12 Kyodo - Seihan Mori, chief Buddhist priest of Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji character "kuma," meaning bear, with a calligraphy brush during the annual kanji-of-the-year event on Dec. 12, 2025. The character was chosen to symbolize the national mood for the year due to frequent bear sightings and related incidents across Japan, as well as attention to the return of pandas - written with characters meaning "bear" and "cat" - to China. (Kyodo)

[Breaking News]Kanji for "bear" chosen as best to characterize 2025