The city of Onishi is well-known for its blue colored stones called “Sanbaseki”, which are used as decoration for Japanese gardens. Thanks to the booming stone business in Japan between the ’60s and ’80s, the city as well as some of its stone dealers became extremely wealthy. Although the popularity of the stones has waned, you can still find many blue stones along the streets and in front of people’s houses as you walk through the city. By tracing those stones, which seem to be overlooked nowadays, the way of life of people in Onishi comes to life.

Video: Mariko Kuwahara
Editing: Eva Sjerps