Kohoku: Life Close to Buddhist Deities

The Kohoku region, north of Lake Biwa, is home to many culturally important Buddhist sculptures. The area around Nagahama City is known for its worship of the bodhisattva Kannon. Buddhist statuary - some over 1,000 years old - have been preserved by villagers, instead of being enshrined in temples. Our traveler Peter MacMillan meets some of these guardians and discovers their warm faith.