It’s cold year round, not hot, in the Hanibe Cave where the “Fushi Jigoku” (Satirical expression of Hell) sit alongside eerily lit statues on a winding path through this natural cave. Located in the Chubu region of Japan, Ryumyoji Town in Ishikawa Prefecture is home to a paradox of peaceful prayer and images of hell.   […]

Ishikawa, Nagano and Niigata Prefectures are just three of the nine prefectures that make up the Chubu region of Japan and are the subject of A Closer Look at Chubu Part 2.  Last week we took a closer look at Aichi, Fukui & Gifu Prefectures and Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi will round out our closer […]