The Museum of Charming Stone Faces 人面石が沢山ある秩父珍石館（NHC0021）

They say that you can meet Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy in Saitama Prefecture’s Chichibu City. The Chichibu Museum of Rare Stones exhibits many unusual rocks, including a popular display of more than 700 that resemble people’s faces. Almost all of them has a name, with some of them resembling popular Japanese entertainers, anime characters, and even Elvis Presley and the like. Each one captures their characteristics really well. The rocks were all gathered over a 50 year period by the museum’s first curator, Mr. Shouji Hayama, at the nearby Arakawa River. The current curator is his daughter, Ms. Yoshiko Hayama. Ms. Hayama said that the museum, which opened its doors 27 years ago, was like an extension of her father, as she explained the stones’ various characteristics to us during our interview with her. It seems she has truly inherited Mr. Hayama’s passion for the stones. 埼玉県秩父市。ここにエルヴィス・プレスリーやジョン・F・ケネディーに”会える”場所があるという。 「秩父珍石館」という名のこの博物館には珍しい石が展示してあり、中でも人気なのが700個を超える人面石。殆どの石に名前がつけられており、日本の芸能人やアニメ