Japan and beyond: Week in Photos

Here is a selection of Kyodo News photos taken this week in Japan and beyond.

Radishes are dried on a scaffold in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, on Dec. 23, 2021. The winter practice in Miyazaki, known for pickled radish, was named an important Japanese agricultural heritage in February 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

People line up for free COVID-19 PCR testing at a facility near JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo on Dec. 25, 2021. Free PCR tests became available at the facility for all ages the same day as the first case of community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was recently confirmed in the capital. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Giant panda Saihin is pictured on artificial snow shaped like a Christmas tree on Dec. 25, 2021, at the Adventure World amusement park in the Wakayama Prefecture town of Shirahama, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kana Muramoto (L) and Daisuke Takahashi pose after winning silver in the ice dance competition of Japan's national figure skating championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, eastern Japan, on Dec. 25, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Misato Komatsubara (L) and Takeru Komatsubara pose after winning the ice dance competition of Japan's national figure skating championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, eastern Japan, on Dec. 25, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kaori Sakamoto (C) poses after winning Japan's national figure skating championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, eastern Japan, on Dec. 25, 2021. Standing beside her are Wakaba Higuchi (L) and Mana Kawabe, who finished second and third, respectively. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Yuzuru Hanyu (C) poses with his gold medal after winning the men's competition at the national figure skating championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, eastern Japan, on Dec. 26, 2021, alongside silver medalist Shoma Uno (L) and bronze medalist Yuma Kagiyama. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Palestinians and Israeli soldiers clash near the West Bank city of Nablus on Dec. 25, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2021, shows a snow-covered dinosaur statue in front of Fukui Station in central Japan. Heavy snow hit many parts of Japan on Dec. 26. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Photo taken on Dec. 27, 2021, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows vehicles stranded on a national road in the Shiga Prefecture city of Hikone, western Japan, due to record-breaking snow that hit the region from Dec. 26 to the early hours of Dec. 27. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

One-year-old giant panda Fuhin is given a "kadomatsu" traditional Japanese decoration for New Year and ice blocks on Dec. 27, 2021, carved into the numbers of 2022 in celebration of the coming year at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Priests of World Heritage-listed Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine dressed in traditional attire take part in an event to exchange a "shimenawa" sacred rope hanging over the top of Nachi waterfall in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Dec. 27, 2021, ahead of the New Year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A South American sea lion practices writing the kanji character meaning "tiger" at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, Japan, on Dec. 27, 2021, ahead of the 2022 Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Commuters wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus head to work in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki area on Dec. 28, 2021, the last working day of the year for government offices and most Japanese companies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A year-end "otakiage" ritual, in which monks throw charms onto a temple fire in appreciation for the granting of worshippers' wishes, is held at Naritasan Shinshoji temple in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 28, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Passengers evacuate a JR Senzan Line train after it collided with a fallen tree and came to a halt in Yamagata, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 28, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Photo taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows North Korean soldiers training in a border control force station in their country's Uiju county. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A shinkansen bullet train platform at JR Tokyo Station is crowded with people heading to their hometowns during year-end and New Year holidays on Dec. 29, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A financial data screen shows the Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.4 percent in Tokyo on Dec. 30, 2021, but at its highest year-end finish since 1989. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo