Many Japanese-style inns and hotels at a hot spring resort in Ishikawa Prefecture are still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake that struck the region in central Japan nine months ago.
Wakura Onsen in Nanao City is known as one of Japan’s leading hot spring resorts. It used to draw about 700,000 visitors annually before the pandemic.
Many Japanese-style “ryokan” and hotels in the area were severely damaged by the quake on New Year’s Day.
The Wakura Onsen ryokan association says most of its 21 member-hotels have been unable to resume regular operations.
It says only three are operating normally, with another due to begin trial operations on Tuesday. Twelve others are providing accommodation only for reconstruction workers and volunteers.
Retaining workers has become a major challenge for hotel managers, with no clear prospects for the future. They’ve been relying on government subsidies to cover wages, but they can tap the program only for a limited period.
The head of the ryokan association, Tanizaki Yutaka, points out the difficulty of finding construction firms that can rebuild the inns and hotels.
Tanizaki says many of the facilities are facing delays in reconstruction — including one that may need another two years or more to reopen. He says assistance to protect jobs is really needed.