Morio Nakajima, a 60-year-old muralist, may not be on the list of Japan's most famous artists, but he is still probably one of the most experienced when it comes to painting Mount Fuji.
While Japan is trying to get Mount Fuji recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Nakajima, who has been obsessed with its beauty throughout his 41-year career, has just one problem on his mind these days -- his main canvas is disappearing.
Unlike the famed ukiyo-e works of Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, who also were inspired by Japan's highest peak, Nakajima's paintings do not hang on the walls of climate-controlled museums. Rather, they cover the walls of steamy "sento" neighborhood bathhouses, which thrived before homes started installing bathing facilities.