Around 1,800 volunteers in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, helped pull the 360-tonne keep of Hirosaki Castle more than six feet back towards its original position after renovation work. The effort matters because it uses a traditional method to preserve a historic structure while repairs are carried out, rather than dismantling or risking damage to the building.

The keep had previously been moved to allow reconstruction of an earthquake-damaged wall, with all 2,185 stones returned to their original locations. Teams are using the ancient hikiya technique, moving the intact building on rollers or rails; by the end of August, about 4,100 people are expected to have moved it more than 16 feet in total. The current three-storey keep dates from 1811, replacing an earlier five-storey tower destroyed by lightning in 1627.