KAGA, Ishikawa -- A hot spring area in this central Japan city is home to a new series of public paintings, but with a twist: they can only be seen when it rains.

       The "Kaga Rain Art" event is on in three of the city's "onsen" spa districts to keep tourists entertained even on rainy days, which happen a lot in the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast. The weather changes so frequently there that it has spawned a local saying: "Don't forget your umbrella, even if you forget your lunchbox."

       The project was organized to reinvigorate the hot spring area's tourism sector, which has suffered immensely in the coronavirus pandemic.

       One of the images painted on the grounds of Hatori Shrine in the Yamashiro Onsen district is a three-legged mythical crow called "yatagarasu." It is said that the hot spring was discovered when Gyoki, a Buddhist high priest of the Nara period (710-794), saw a yatagarasu healing a wounded wing in the soothing waters. There is also a pattern related to the district's Yakuoin Onsenji temple, which has a link with Buddhist priest Myogaku, who created the foundation for the Japanese kana phonetic syllabary in the Heian period (794-1185).

       In the Yamanaka Onsen district, images including an egret and a geisha are painted on the ground of a plaza in front of the Yamanakaza theater.

       On the Lake Shibayama promenade in the Katayamazu Onsen district, images include a duck, fireworks, and a snow crystal in tribute to the late physicist Ukichiro Nakaya, who was born in the area and invented artificial snow.

       People affiliated with the city government and the hot springs came up with the pattern ideas, and some 30 people including university students in Ishikawa Prefecture painted them with special water-repellent sprays. The locations were selected to combine the images emerging in the rain with notable buildings or views, making for charming photo spots.

       Asami Shida, from the Kaga Municipal Government's tourism exchange division, said, "We hope it will lift the city of Kaga's name recognition and brand power."

       While the artworks can be enjoyed for about one to two months until the sprays wear out, they may be hard to see depending on the viewer's angle and the amount of rainfall. For more information, contact the division by phone at 0761-72-7900 (in Japanese).

       (Japanese original by Nanami Hidaka, Osaka Regional News Department)

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