To please ancestors, children in Himeshima transform into animals and princesses.

With help from trained reindeer, Siberia’s nomadic Nenets speed across the tundra.

For more than 7,000 years, aspiring “Invincible Titans” have grappled on the Central Asian steppe.

In Sulawesi, big-lunged Bajau hunters eke out a traditional living underwater.

Across Yakutia, pagan celebrations of summer are making a comeback.

Will Borneo’s big-nosed, pot-bellied primate swing and swim in the wild for much longer?

In Otsu, a 1,200-year-old celebration honors lusty mountain gods every spring.

A semi-wild species has the run of a functioning city.

In the eastern highlands, grandmothers wear tribal affiliation on their faces.

In Taipei, indoor fishermen dangle for their dinner.

No other creatures, let alone cephalopods, mate quite like this.

Discarded shells are shelters for this underwater species in Anilao. Beer cans, too.

In southern Yunnan, pu-erh emerges from terraced landscapes and timeless methods.

High-country herding defines a Himalayan community..

A predatory invertebrate strikes from inside its ocean burrow.

One country lays claim to the world’s most tricked-out cargo vehicles.

A Lampang workshop specializes in the dha, a traditional Southeast Asian sword.

On the Andaman coast, a disappearing approach to married life.

In a sacred town, the most colorful Hindu celebration takes on extra meaning.

The homegrown skincare product that defines a nation.

The ancient city of Bagan bristles with thousand-year-old buildings.

The Hindu holy men who preside over the world’s largest religious gathering.

Where Rajasthan’s desert herdsmen bring their beasts to market.

An ancient waterway near Guilin has inspired more poetry than any other.

The freakiest-looking festival in the Himalayas comes courtesy of Buddhist monks.

In a city of ups and downs, an ingenious way to get around.

The subway system that’s also a work of art.

In Kyoto, an exquisite and uniquely demanding profession lives on.