Hokuriku

Hokuriku, industrial region, west-central Honshu, Japan, lying along the Sea of Japan. It is neither an administrative nor a political entity.

It is believed that the picture was conveyed through the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast, but the Nagano Municipal Government noted that the figure bears no shield and that the vessel contains a circular emblem -- features setting it apart from those unearthed in the western half of the country.