Shiretoko: Where Diverse Nature and Wildlife Live in Harmony | World Natural Heritage in Japan

Japan's overnight trains are attracting renewed attention as railway companies introduce special services that combine affordable travel with exclusive experiences, highlighted by the country's first overnight Shinkansen service, which carried passengers from Osaka to Tokyo during the Silver Week holidays on September 22.

An All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight bound for Saga Airport made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa at 10:05 p.m. on September 23 after developing trouble with its right engine shortly after takeoff, with some passengers suffering minor injuries during an emergency evacuation.

A rare blue-and-black bee known as the "blue bee that brings happiness" has become a popular attraction at Chojuji Temple in Konan, Shiga Prefecture, where visitors are gathering to catch a glimpse of the colorful insect.

Airports and railway stations across Japan were crowded on September 23 as travelers returned from their hometowns and holiday destinations on the final day of the five-day Silver Week holiday, with international flight arrivals reaching their peak and many afternoon Shinkansen services fully booked.

Japan's first overnight Shinkansen service departed Shin-Osaka Station at around 10 p.m. on September 22, taking passengers on a special journey to Tokyo that included a six-hour stop at Shin-Fuji Station, where travelers spent the night aboard the train before enjoying views of Mount Fuji at dawn.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Extensive railway disruption continued across Chiba Prefecture on September 23 as JR East warned that several lines damaged by Typhoon No. 25 would remain closed beyond the Silver Week holiday, even as flights returned toward normal, all typhoon-related expressway closures were lifted and some highway bus services resumed. The storm has left widespread damage to railway tracks and embankments, with flooding, landslides and fallen trees complicating restoration work.

The death toll from Typhoon No. 25 rose to nine on September 23, with four people still missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, as renewed rainfall raised fears of further landslides in communities devastated by the storm.