Paddy art of Himeji Castle

Paddy art of Himeji Castle

OSAKA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Aug. 4, 2011, shows an image of Himeji Castle made with six rice varieties having different colors on a 90-meter by 180-meter field at the foot of Mt. Shosha in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan. The paddy image can be viewed in its finest colors through late September, according to local citizens who created it.

Finland surge into lead in Olymic

Finland surge into lead in Olymic

Finland's Samppa Lajunen salutes the crowd after securing the lead in the Nordic combined team event after the ski jumping section on Feb. 19. The Finns placed themselves in a strong position to take the Olympic gold after three 90-meter-plus jumps in the second round took them past Austria and into the lead at Hakuba, central Japan.

Soininen wins gold medal

Soininen wins gold medal

Jani Soininen of Finland flies to the gold medal in the Nagano Olympic normal hill jumping event Feb. 11. Soininen, ranked fourth in the World Cup rankings with two wins this season, combined two solid jumps of 90 and 89 meters for a winning total of 234.5 points on the 90-meter hill in Hakuba.

Paddy art of Himeji Castle

Paddy art of Himeji Castle

OSAKA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Aug. 4, 2011, shows an image of Himeji Castle made with six rice varieties having different colors on a 90-meter by 180-meter field at the foot of Mt. Shosha in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan. The paddy image can be viewed in its finest colors through late September, according to local citizens who created it. (Kyodo)

Ski jumping: Nykanen dies

Ski jumping: Nykanen dies

File photo shows Finnish ski jumping legend Matti Nykanen soaring through the air in the men's 90-meter event at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. The four-time Olympic champion died at age 55 on Feb. 3, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo