A powerful earthquake that registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28 caused stone walls to collapse at 28 locations within Kumamoto Castle, reviving painful memories among residents who experienced the devastating earthquakes a decade ago. (News On Japan)

Flights at Kumamoto Airport were gradually returning to normal on July 29 after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7 forced the cancellation of all domestic services at the airport the previous day. (News On Japan)

A section of the Ken-O Expressway being extended in Chiba Prefecture to improve access to Narita Airport has been opened to the media ahead of its scheduled completion. (News On Japan)

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival, a summer tradition in Tokyo's historic downtown districts, was held across Taito and Sumida wards on July 25, with about 20,000 fireworks lighting up the night sky following a day of intense heat. (News On Japan)

UNESCO has formally added the Asuka-Fujiwara capital sites in Nara Prefecture to its World Cultural Heritage list, bringing the number of World Heritage properties in Japan to 27. (News On Japan)

Two elaborately decorated boats sailed along the Kozagawa River in Wakayama Prefecture on July 26 as the annual Kochi Festival was held under scorching summer heat. (News On Japan)

A Japan Airlines flight attendant suffered a broken rib after sudden turbulence shook an aircraft during its descent to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, prompting authorities to investigate the incident as an aviation accident. (News On Japan)

Paid seating has become the norm at fireworks festivals across Japan, with all 15,000 reserved-seat tickets for the Sumida River Fireworks Festival in Tokyo already sold ahead of the July 25 event. (News On Japan)

Eighty women carried two portable shrines weighing about 200 kilograms each through Osaka’s Tenjinbashisuji shopping arcade, filling the streets with spirited chants ahead of the Tenjin Festival’s opening ceremonies. (News On Japan)

Japan Airlines has unveiled new cooling workwear for ground staff at Haneda Airport, where temperatures on the aircraft parking apron reached 39 degrees Celsius. (News On Japan)

Mount Fuji has entered its summer climbing season, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors while authorities on its Shizuoka and Yamanashi sides take sharply different approaches to protecting climbers from a possible eruption. (News On Japan)

JR West has unveiled a new blue-based design for Kodama trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen, intended to evoke the relaxed pace of an all-stations journey and the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea. (News On Japan)

Kuwana in Mie Prefecture recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature anywhere in Japan this year, as a powerful high-pressure system and hot downslope winds combined to produce dangerous heat across a wide area. (News On Japan)

Mount Tokachidake in central Hokkaido experienced its first confirmed eruption in 22 years on July 22, sending a column of black smoke about 200 meters above the crater, although authorities said there were no signs that volcanic activity was intensifying. (News On Japan)

The flight from Narita lands just after sunset, and by the time the taxi clears the terminal the air has already made its point: warm, salt-tinged, a shade heavier than the one you left behind that morning. (News On Japan)

Large numbers of climbers headed to Mount Fuji on July 22 despite disaster-level heat that pushed temperatures to 40 degrees Celsius or higher in parts of Japan, while a series of rescues highlighted the risks of exhaustion, inadequate footwear and hypothermia during the peak summer climbing season. (News On Japan)

Disaster-level heat gripped much of Japan on July 22, with temperatures of 40 C forecast in parts of the Kanto and Tokai regions and heatstroke alerts issued for 41 prefectures from Okinawa to Tohoku. (News On Japan)

Nerima Ward has allowed handheld fireworks in selected public parks for the first time, joining a growing number of Tokyo wards seeking to provide residents with designated places to enjoy the traditional summer activity. (News On Japan)

Haneda Airport is emerging as a destination where visitors can spend an entire day, offering aviation-themed attractions, distinctive restaurants, unusual vending machines and observation decks with sweeping views of aircraft taking off and landing. (News On Japan)

Breathtaking 4K footage filmed from a helicopter offers a sweeping aerial view of Mount Fuji and its majestic surrounding landscape. (News On Japan)