UNESCO has decided to add a group of traditional Japanese dances performed across the country to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The United Nations cultural agency is holding a conference in Morocco's capital, Rabat.
For the first time in almost a century, swordsmiths have performed a traditional ritual at a Shinto shrine in a western Japanese town famous for making swords.
The sword-forging ritual was held at the Yukie Shrine in Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, which has been a place of worship for swordsmiths since ancient times. A local group organized the event to forge a sword with a wish for world peace as an offering to the shrine.
About 20 people wearing traditional Japanese 'hakama' clothing gathered at a shrine in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, on Sunday for a "laughing ritual" called Waraiko.
The event at the Omatahachimangu Shrine dates back to the Kamakura Period some 800 years ago.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine to mark the two-day autumn festival.
Suga sent a potted plant to the shrine on Saturday.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine to mark the two-day autumn festival.
Suga sent a potted plant to the shrine on Saturday.
The National Ainu Museum and Park in Shiraoi Town in Hokkaido has observed a traditional ceremony to pay tribute to the ancestors of the indigenous Ainu people.
The area, called Upopoy, is designed to serve as a base for promoting the Ainu culture. It is a symbolic space for ethnic coexistence.
Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to mark the start of its spring festival.
Abe sent a potted plant to the shrine on Tuesday under his title of prime minister.
Visitors at a Buddhist temple in western Japan marked a time-honored tradition by soaking themselves in cold water in a ritual aimed at toughening the body and soul.
Monday is "daikan" in the traditional Japanese calendar, which means the coldest time of the year. About 10 people braved the chilly temperatures by soaking themselves in frigid water.