Photo of the week (posted 16 July 2020)

A rickshaw driver spends his downtime bonding with a fellow island inhabitant on Miyajima, near Hiroshima, western Japan. Miyajima, with its red ‘torii’ gate in the sea, is an iconic destination for travellers from all around the world. Designated a sacred island since at least the 6th century, the mountainous island’s forests and wildlife have been protected through prohibition of hunting and tree felling. As a result, the Japanese sika deer—regarded as embodiments of the gods of nature—freely roam the tourist island, though their behaviour sometimes is far from being divine, having become accustomed to being fed by the tourist hordes. Photo taken in May 2012