Japan-S. Korea festival in Seoul

Japan-S. Korea festival in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - People from Miyazaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan stage the ''Shiwasu Matsuri,'' a 1,300-year-old local festival derived from a folk tale about an ancient state's royal family on the Korean Peninsula, on the last day of the ''Nikkan Koryu Omatsuri'' (Japan-South Korean Exchange Festival) in Seoul on Oct. 3, 2010.

Cormorant fishing begins on Nagara River in Gifu Pref.

Cormorant fishing begins on Nagara River in Gifu Pref.

GIFU, Japan - A fisherman (L) manages his trained cormorants on leashes from a wooden boat on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture on May 11, 2010, the opening day of this year's cormorant fishing season. The 1,300-year-old cormorant fishing will be conducted every day until Oct. 15.

Cormorant fishing begins on Nagara River in Gifu Pref.

Cormorant fishing begins on Nagara River in Gifu Pref.

GIFU, Japan - A fisherman (R) manages his trained cormorants on leashes from a wooden boat on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture on May 11, 2010, the opening day of this year's cormorant fishing season. The 1,300-year-old cormorant fishing will be conducted every day until Oct. 15.

Kyushu shrine conducts 1,300-year-old seaweed-offering event

Kyushu shrine conducts 1,300-year-old seaweed-offering event

KITAKYUSHU, Japan - Two priests (L) at Mekari Shrine in Kitakyushu reap wakame seaweed while one priest bears a torch in the early morning at ebb tide of Jan. 26, or Jan. 1 by the lunar calendar, before offering it at the shrine. About 100 people watched the 1,300-year-old annual event held in hopes of safe navigation and a good haul.

Ruins of Asuka period garden pond found in Nara

Ruins of Asuka period garden pond found in Nara

The 1,300-year-old remains of what may possibly be the first garden pond ever built for an imperial palace in Japan have been found in the village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. The find suggests that an imperial pond fashioned after those in China and the Korean Peninsula existed before Japan's first capital was established in nearby Fujiwarakyo in 694.