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
Wakayama demolishing abandoned hotel
A long-abandoned hotel in Japan’s Amalfi is being forcibly demolished by the city government in response to complaints from local residents. Located on a cliffside position, the former Taikobo Hotel overlooks the Saikazaki Fishing Harbor on Wakayama City’s coastal area.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
Historic residence in Wakayama donated to city
The owner of a historic home in Shingu City in Wakayama Prefecture, donated a 89-year old western-style house to the City.
Although the house was donated for free, the city agreed to pay approximately 18 million Yen (152,000 USD) for the 730 sqm block of land. The city plans to repair the home and open it to visitors. The total cost of the project, including the purchase price, was estimated at around 100 million Yen (843,000 USD).
The former Chapman Residence was built in 1926 for American missionary E.N. Chapman and his family. It was designed by architect Isaku Nishimura (1884-1963), the founder of the Bunka Gakuin School in Sumida-ku, Tokyo. Nishimura was born into a wealthy merchant family in Shingu City. His father, Yohei Oishi, was and elder of the Presbyterian Church and named Isaku after Isaac from the Old Testament. Read more