FEATURE: Japan Alps lodge owner turns to artists in fight to protect environment

The owner of a hikers' lodge in the Northern Alps in central Japan has been offering up-and-coming artists extended free stays in the hope that the works they create there will help build conversations around the importance of preserving the region's natural resources.Jiro Ito, 41, says the only condition he imposes on artists staying at Kumonodaira Mountain Hut, located in a remote mountainous area stretching across Nagano, Gifu and Toyama prefectures, is that they agree to display their works at exhibitions he organizes and on other occasions.Upkeep of the area's mountain trails and natur…READ FULL ARTICLE