Shizuoka hotels hit with almost 500,000 cancellations due to tourist drop
The impacts of the coronavirus are being painfully felt by hotel and ryokan operators in Shizuoka’s popular hot spring locations. Hotels and onsens that have relied heavily on tour groups from China are now facing either temporary or permanent closure.
Shibuya mistakenly buys ryokan with X-rated past
Shibuya’s local government has found itself in hot water after it was discovered that a building purchased as a retreat had previously been used as a studio for filming adult movies.
The ‘Kikusuikan’ hotel is located in the hot spring town of Kawazu in Shizuoka Prefecture. The building and land was purchased by the Shibuya local government in April 2014 for 110,000,000 Yen and is scheduled to open in October. Total acquisition and renovation costs are expected to reach 228,000,000 Yen.
According to a Shibuya ward assemblyman, Kikusuikan was used as a location for 11 adult films between 2006 and 2013. City office officials, however, deny having any knowledge of this fact and were only made aware after it was reported in a weekly publication.
Taking into account the building’s ‘history’ an independent real estate appraiser valued the property at 40,000,000 Yen.
Sources:
The Asahi Shimbun, September 25, 2014.
The Mainichi Shimbun, September 24, 2014.