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JAPAN

Michelle Obama's upbeat exit

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama ended her visit to Japan on Friday with a taste of traditional culture in Kyoto, one of the country's ancient capitals. She viewed a Noh performance at Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist temple founded in 780 that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. College students performed a piece of Noh, a musical drama that usually employs elaborate costumes and stylized masks. She also observed a tea ceremony.

Later, at the 1,300-year-old Fushimi Inari Shrine, she watched the Akutagawa High School Taiko Club drum, jump, and gesticulate through a performance. "You guys are good!" she said. The students invited her to join them, and she and a student drummed on a big, round taiko drum.

Soon after, she left Japan for Cambodia. - AP