HOFU, Yamaguchi Pref. — Shoji Matsuura communicates with the dead.
The 71-year-old's conversation partners are carpenters of centuries ago, and he gets to speak with them every time he restores the shrines and temples they built.
Matsuura is the only one of the few "miyadaiku" — carpenters who handle traditional Japanese structures — who specializes in restoring shrines and temples designated as national treasures and cultural assets.