Shirahama beachfront onsen to go up for sale in January
A town-owned onsen hotel in Wakayama Prefecture’s Shirahama district will go up for sale next month, with an appraised value of just 7.6 million Yen (approx. US$50,000).Read more
Karakami Kankoh to close two 1960s hotels in Wakayama
Karakami Kankoh, a Sapporo-based hotel and onsen operator, will close two ageing hotels in Wakayama Prefecture next year.
Hotel Coganoi (103 rooms) and the Shirahama Seaside Hotel (91 rooms) were both built in 1961. Despite having operating ratios of around 70% between April and August this year, the continued operation of the hotels has proven difficult due to their age and the fact that they were built to the old and out-dated earthquake codes. The company had considered retrofitting the buildings, but the 1 billion Yen (8.4 million USD) cost was considered too high. Both hotels will close at the end of March 2016.Read more