Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

OSAKA, Japan, Aug. 2 Kyodo - A departure ceremony is held at Kintetsu Railway's Osaka Abenobashi Station in Osaka on Aug. 1, 2026, for a train with liveries based on a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, that were recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage list. (Kyodo)

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

Photo taken at Kintetsu Railway's Osaka Abenobashi Station in Osaka on Aug. 1, 2026, shows a train with liveries based on a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, that were recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

Photo taken at Kintetsu Railway's Osaka Abenobashi Station in Osaka on Aug. 1, 2026, shows a train with liveries based on a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, that were recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

Train featuring World Heritage-listed ancient sites

A departure ceremony is held at Kintetsu Railway's Osaka Abenobashi Station in Osaka on Aug. 1, 2026, for a train with liveries based on a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, that were recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

People celebrate at a public viewing site in Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on July 26, 2026, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day in Busan, South Korea, to add a group of ancient sites in the western Japan prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara area, including Kashihara, to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

People celebrate at a public viewing site in Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on July 26, 2026, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day in Busan, South Korea, to add a group of ancient sites in the western Japan prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara area, including Kashihara, to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

People celebrate at a public viewing site in Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on July 26, 2026, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day in Busan, South Korea, to add a group of ancient sites in the western Japan prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara area, including Kashihara, to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

People celebrate at a public viewing site in Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on July 26, 2026, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day in Busan, South Korea, to add a group of ancient sites in the western Japan prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara area, including Kashihara, to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

People celebrate at a public viewing site in Kashihara in Nara Prefecture on July 26, 2026, after UNESCO decided earlier in the day in Busan, South Korea, to add a group of ancient sites in the western Japan prefecture's Asuka-Fujiwara area, including Kashihara, to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Makoto Yamashita (C), governor of Japan's Nara Prefecture, makes a speech in Busan on July 26, 2026, after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided in the South Korean city earlier in the day to add a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in the western Japan prefecture to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Makoto Yamashita (C), governor of Japan's Nara Prefecture, makes a speech in Busan on July 26, 2026, after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided in the South Korean city earlier in the day to add a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in the western Japan prefecture to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Makoto Yamashita, governor of Japan's Nara Prefecture, meets the press in Busan on July 26, 2026, after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided in the South Korean city earlier in the day to add a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in the western Japan prefecture to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites added to World Heritage list

Makoto Yamashita (C) governor of Japan's Nara Prefecture, celebrates in Busan on July 26, 2026, after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided in the South Korean city earlier in the day to add a group of ancient sites in the Asuka-Fujiwara area in the western Japan prefecture to its World Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

File photo taken on April 19, 2026, shows the Fujiwara Palace site (front) in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan. A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites

File photo taken on April 20, 2026, shows the Asuka Palace site in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan. A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Japanese pop duo Chage and Aska sing in Seoul

Japanese pop duo Chage and Aska sing in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - Japanese pop duo Chage and Aska sing in their mass concert at the Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul on Aug. 26. The concert marked the first time since South Korean government lifted the ban on Japanese songs.

CHAGE & ASKA concert in 2000 in Seoul

CHAGE & ASKA concert in 2000 in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea, April 14 Kyodo - Japanese fans pose for a photo at a gymnasium at the Olympic Park in Seoul on Aug. 26, 2000, ahead of a two-day live music concert by Japanese popular duo CHAGE & ASKA starting there later in the day.

CHAGE & ASKA concert in 2000 in Seoul

CHAGE & ASKA concert in 2000 in Seoul

TOKYO, Japan, April 15 Kyodo - Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2000, shows a concert by Japanese popular duo CHAGE & ASKA at the Olympic Park in Seoul.

Athletics: World championships

Athletics: World championships

Asuka Terada of Japan competes in a women's 100-meters hurdles heat during the world athletics championships in Budapest on Aug. 22, 2023.

(SP)CHINA-JIANGSU-CHANGZHOU-HOCKEY-WOMEN-SONY HC VS MALAYSIA (CN)

(SP)CHINA-JIANGSU-CHANGZHOU-HOCKEY-WOMEN-SONY HC VS MALAYSIA (CN)

(230421) -- CHANGZHOU, April 21, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Kishi Asuka (L) of Sony HC vies for the ball during the 4th round match between Sony HC and Malaysia at the Two Lakes Innovation Cup 1st Women's Hockey International Invitational Tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Shi Kang/Xinhua)

(SP)CHINA-JIANGSU-CHANGZHOU-HOCKEY-WOMEN-SONY HC VS MALAYSIA (CN)

(SP)CHINA-JIANGSU-CHANGZHOU-HOCKEY-WOMEN-SONY HC VS MALAYSIA (CN)

(230421) -- CHANGZHOU, April 21, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Kishi Asuka (L) of Sony HC vies for the ball during the 4th round match between Sony HC and Malaysia at the Two Lakes Innovation Cup 1st Women's Hockey International Invitational Tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Shi Kang/Xinhua)

Sumo wrestlers entertain fans on 3-day cruise

Sumo wrestlers entertain fans on 3-day cruise

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Yokozuna Hakuho (extreme L) and three other professional wrestlers salute on the deck of the luxury liner Asuka II on Dec. 10, 2014, on the first day of a three-day cruise from Yokohama southwest of Tokyo during which they will entertain about 750 fans with talk shows and other performances. Cruise tickets cost from 115,000 yen to 520,000 yen each, including admission to the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in January 2015.

Yokozuna Hakuho chills out on cruise to entertain fans

Yokozuna Hakuho chills out on cruise to entertain fans

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Yokozuna Hakuho relaxes on the poolside aboard the luxury liner Asuka II on Dec. 10, 2014, on the first day of a three-day cruise from Yokohama southwest of Tokyo during which the sumo champion and three fellow professional wrestlers will entertain about 750 fans with talk shows and other performances. Cruise tickets cost from 115,000 yen to 520,000 yen each, including admission to the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in January 2015.

Olympics: Japan relay quartet gets silver medals

Olympics: Japan relay quartet gets silver medals

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Aug. 21 Kyodo - (From L) Ryota Yamagata, Shota Iizuka, Yoshihide Kiryu and Asuka Cambridge of Japan pose with their silver medals during the award ceremony for the men's 4x100-meter relay at the athletics competitions of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 20, 2016.

Gymnastics: Japan's Teramoto 8th in women's all-around

Gymnastics: Japan's Teramoto 8th in women's all-around

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Aug. 11 Kyodo - Japanese gymnast Asuka Teramoto performs on the floor in the women's all-around final at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games on Aug. 11, 2016. Teramoto finished eighth.

People gather to see ditch of ancient tomb in Nara

People gather to see ditch of ancient tomb in Nara

OSAKA, Japan - People gather around what is believed to be a stone-lined ditch (L) of a giant seventh-century rectangular tomb in the Oyamada ruins in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, in a photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter. Archaeological experts explained the ditch found on Jan. 15 to visitors.

Cleaned murals from ancient tomb ready for public display

Cleaned murals from ancient tomb ready for public display

KASHIHARA, Japan - Cleansed murals from the Takamatsuzuka Tomb, an ancient circular tumulus grave in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, designated as a national treasure, are shown to the press at the Cultural Affairs Agency's local repairing facility on Jan. 16, 2015, on the eve of public display.

Growing plants for medicinal use in Nara Pref.

Growing plants for medicinal use in Nara Pref.

TOKYO, Japan - Members of "farming Kitora" harvest Angelica acutiloba, an ingredient of Kampo medicine, Japan's traditional herbal medicine, in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, in December 2014. Demand for plants used in Kampo medicine has been increasing in Japan.

Teramoto wins women's balance beam at Toyota Int'l

Teramoto wins women's balance beam at Toyota Int'l

TOYOTA, Japan - Asuka Teramoto wins the women's balance beam event in the Toyota International Gymnastics competition at Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Dec. 14, 2014.

3D image of fox projected over tumulus in western Japan

3D image of fox projected over tumulus in western Japan

KASHIHARA, Japan - A three-dimensional image of a fox is projected over the Ishibutai tumulus made of large rocks in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Nov. 13, 2014, for the test illumination of "projection mapping."

3D image of planet projected on tumulus in west Japan

3D image of planet projected on tumulus in west Japan

KASHIHARA, Japan - A three-dimensional image of a planet is projected over the Ishibutai tumulus made of large rocks in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Nov. 13, 2014, for the test illumination of "projection mapping."

Goods featuring Hello Kitty and local mascot promote old pond

Goods featuring Hello Kitty and local mascot promote old pond

TONDABAYASHI, Japan - Products featuring "Sayarin," a local mascot promoting Osakasayama City in Osaka Prefecture, and Hello Kitty were shown at Osakasayama City hall on Sept. 1, 2014. The goods were put on sale to promote the western Japanese city's Sayamaike, Japan's oldest reservoir dating back to the Asuka period (592-710).

Japan vet works to protect elephants from poaching in Kenya

Japan vet works to protect elephants from poaching in Kenya

MASAI MARA, Kenya - Japanese veterinary Asuka Takita (C) talks with local people in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya on Aug. 11, 2014, during her work to protect African elephants from poaching.

Japanese high schooler at Fukushima festival in Paris

Japanese high schooler at Fukushima festival in Paris

Paris, France - Asuka Endo (R), a student at Kaishi Kokusai High School of Niigata Prefecture who hails from the town of Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, talks with a visitor on Aug. 31, 2014, at a booth at a two-day cultural event in Paris titled "Ring of Tohoku Rebirth," an OECD project to help the 2011 earthquake-hit northeastern Japanese region get back on its feet. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also visited the event.

Murals of Takamatsuzuka tomb displayed at repair facility

Murals of Takamatsuzuka tomb displayed at repair facility

KASHIHARA, Japan - Murals in the Takamatsuzuka tomb are shown to the press at a repair facility in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 22, 2014.

HD images of murals in Takamatsuzuka, Kitora tombs

HD images of murals in Takamatsuzuka, Kitora tombs

KASHIHARA, Japan - High-definition images of murals in the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora tombs are shown on a screen installed at the Asuka Historical Museum of Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 22, 2014. The system is called "Mural Navigation."

Citizens gather at Miyakozuka Tomb

Citizens gather at Miyakozuka Tomb

KASHIHARA, Japan - A large number of citizens gather at the village of Asuka in the western Japanese prefecture of Nara on Aug. 16, 2014, to listen to explanations by experts. The Miyakozuka Tomb, built in the late sixth century, is believed to have been shaped like a pyramid.

Citizens view Miyakozuka Tomb in Nara Pref.

Citizens view Miyakozuka Tomb in Nara Pref.

KASHIHARA, Japan - Citizens visit the Miyakozuka Tomb in the village of Asuka in the western Japan prefecture of Nara on Aug. 16, 2014. Built in the late sixth century, the tomb may have been shaped like a pyramid.

Aerial view of ancient tumuluses in western Japan

Aerial view of ancient tumuluses in western Japan

OSAKA, Japan - The Miyakozuka tomb mound in Asuka in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nara, found to have been shaped like a pyramid and built in the late sixth century, is seen at the bottom of this photo taken on Aug. 5, 2014. The Ishibutai tumulus is located in the middle.

Big stone coffin found in 6th-century tumulus

Big stone coffin found in 6th-century tumulus

NARA, Japan - A large stone coffin is shown in this photo taken on Aug. 5, 2014, inside the Miyakozuka tomb mound in Asuka in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nara, which is found to have been shaped like a pyramid. The tumulus was built in the late sixth century.

Stones found piled up in staircase pattern at tumulus

Stones found piled up in staircase pattern at tumulus

NARA, Japan - Archaeologists find stones piled up in a staircase pattern on the east side of the Miyakozuka tomb mound in Asuka in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nara, as shown in this photo taken on Aug. 5, 2014. Built in the late sixth century, the tumulus was shaped like a pyramid, according to the archaeologists.

Aaerial view of ancient tumulus in western Japan

Aaerial view of ancient tumulus in western Japan

OSAKA, Japan - The Miyakozuka tomb mound in Asuka in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Nara is seen in this aerial photo taken on Aug. 5, 2014. Archaeologists say the sixth-century tumulus was a flat-topped burial mound made by piling up stones in a staircase pattern.

Woman holds 1st info security event for women in Japan

Woman holds 1st info security event for women in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Asuka Nakajima, shown in this file photo taken on July 16, 2014, is the organizer of an information security event exclusively for women held on June 29 for the first time in Japan.

Japan unveils body of H2A No. 25 rocket

Japan unveils body of H2A No. 25 rocket

NAGOYA, Japan - An airframe of the H2A No. 25 rocket, soon to be loaded with the next-generation meteorological satellite Himawari No.8, is unveiled to the press at a plant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works in Asuka, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on July 30, 2014. The airframe will be transported to the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to prepare for a launch this autumn.

Japan unveils body of H2A No. 25 rocket

Japan unveils body of H2A No. 25 rocket

NAGOYA, Japan - An airframe of the H2A No. 25 rocket, soon to be loaded with the next-generation meteorological satellite Himawari No.8, is unveiled to the press at a plant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works in Asuka, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on July 30, 2014. The airframe will be transported to the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to prepare for a launch this autumn.

Ruins of gov't buildings in Asuka period discovered

Ruins of gov't buildings in Asuka period discovered

FUKUOKA, Japan - A site in Kasuya Town in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka where an administrative office buildings are believed to have stood during the Asuka period (592-710) is pictured in the photo taken on July 14, 2014.

New remains of Japan's oldest garden found in Nara

New remains of Japan's oldest garden found in Nara

KASHIHARA, Japan - A staffer of the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara points at the remains of a pebbled ditch in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on July 14, 2014, recently found at the site of Japan's oldest garden dating back to the Asuka era (592-710).

Traces of wall pillar holes found at ancient garden site

Traces of wall pillar holes found at ancient garden site

KASHIHARA, Japan - A staffer of the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara stands on the remains of Japan's oldest garden in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on July 14, 2014, pointing to pillar holes used for walls surrounding it. The remains of the garden dating back to the Asuka era (592-710) were unearthed recently.

Traces of wall pillar holes found at ancient garden site

Traces of wall pillar holes found at ancient garden site

KASHIHARA, Japan - Traces of pillar holes used for walls surrounding Japan's oldest garden are shown to the press in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, on July 14, 2014. Remains of the garden dating back to the Asuka era (592-710) were unearthed recently.

Visitors observe cross-section soil layers of ancient tomb

Visitors observe cross-section soil layers of ancient tomb

KASHIWARA, Japan - Visitors to the Asuka Historical Museum in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, western Japan, look at a panel of cross-sectional soil layers of the Takamatsuzuka Tomb on April 14, 2014. The tomb is known for its decaying mural paintings, designated as a national treasure.