Hundreds of cancellations were made at hotels and ryokan, Japanese inns, in the coastal regions of central and western Japan after the weather agency issued a warning of a possible mega-earthquake in the middle of the summer holiday season.
Sansuien, a ryokan in Kochi Prefecture in western Japan, reported that bookings for around 450 guests were canceled on Friday, just a day after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning – the first of its kind – about an increased risk of a strong earthquake in the Nankai Trough, which runs along the Pacific coast.
Most of those who canceled their reservations cited travel anxiety, according to Kazuhiro Kamata, an employee at the inn. “While I understand their feelings, it’s a difficult situation (for us),” Kamata said.
In the city of Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture at the tip of the Izu Peninsula, reservations for a total of over 550 people were canceled. It is estimated that in the event of the Nankai Trough mega-earthquake, a tsunami of up to 33 meters high would hit the area.
Toshihito Okumura, a representative of a local ryokan cooperative around the famous Dogo hot springs in Matsuyama in western Japan’s Ehime Prefecture, said he expected at least 1,000 cancellations in the week ending next Thursday.
“The impact is expected to continue for some time,” Okumura said.
In Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, the famous white sand beach was closed and a fireworks festival was cancelled.
According to the prefectural government, one hotel was inundated with phone calls asking whether it was safe to stay there and had to record 350 cancellations.
Shigeki Yamashita of the local tourism association said it was regrettable that the warning came “at a time when the number of tourists has been at its highest in a year.”
Beaches have also been closed and swimming banned in other areas that could be affected by a Nankai Trough mega-earthquake, including Shizuoka and Mie prefectures.
Meanwhile, the Kumano Kodo Centre in Mie, which exhibits materials on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountains, has decided to close until Thursday, even though it is located at higher ground.
An official at the center said there are already plans to close it in the event of a Nankai Trough warning, as the facility is close to the sea and flooding of surrounding roads leading to the building is expected.
