Workers repair a road at Naruko hot spring resort in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on April 29, the first day of the Golden Week holidays. (The Asahi Shimbun)OSAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Tourists were scarce at the famed Naruko hot spring resort on April 29, the first day of the Golden Week holidays.
Takenobu Kikuchi, 64, who runs a hot spring inn in the area, said, "The main reason is the nuclear plant accident."
Many reservations have been canceled despite the fact that the area is about 150 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
An Osaki city official said it was hard to promote tourism against the backdrop of the suffering caused by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
"We cannot stage a campaign saying our resort is unscathed when residents in the coastal area of the prefecture are observing 49th-day memorial ceremonies," the official said.
Tourist destinations throughout the Tohoku region are facing a slump at what should be one of their busiest times of the year. The Golden Week period, which runs from April 29 to May 8 this year, is one Japan's main holiday periods.
A sightseeing boat in the scenic Matsushima Bay area in Miyagi Prefecture, which normally attracts about 3.6 million visitors a year, resumed sailings April 29. Only 326 tourists used the service on the first day, less than 20 percent of what would normally be expected during Golden Week.
The area is known as one of the nation's top three scenic sites.
About 40 souvenir shops and hotels have reopened in the area.
The ground floor of Masashi Kawaguchi's store was flooded by the tsunami but he managed to reopen April 25.
"We want to send a message that Matsushima is alive and well," said Kawaguchi, 46. "There are only a few tourists, but the number has increased since we reopened."
In Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, hotels and inns were fully booked before the disaster for the city's cherry blossom festival, being held from April 23 to May 8. Half of those reservations were canceled after the quake.
Festival organizers have decided to donate about one third of the 300-yen admission fee to Hirosaki Castle, a key festival venue, to the quake-hit region.
The resumption of full service on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori on April 29 apparently gave a much-needed boost to the city.
Tourists were scarce prior to Golden Week, but booking accommodations on or after May 1, when cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom, is becoming difficult.
In May, the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization plans to start a campaign in the Tokyo metropolitan area to lure back travelers.
The organization was established in 2007 by prefectural governments, East Japan Railway Co. and JTB Corp. to stimulate the local economy through tourism.
The organization set a target of increasing the number of guests staying at least one night by 500,000 annually to 46.5 million in 2013. But it is reviewing that goal due to the March 11 disaster and the nuclear plant accident.
Masashi Okatake, president of Rakuten Travel Inc., said the Tohoku region's famous summer festivals hold the key to reviving the industry's fortunes.
"Although people are beginning to reconsider the idea that they should not go out and spend out of consideration for the quake victims, group tours have not returned," Okatake said. "It is necessary to come up with eye-catching events to increase the number of tourists."
Takenobu Kikuchi, 64, who runs a hot spring inn in the area, said, "The main reason is the nuclear plant accident."
Many reservations have been canceled despite the fact that the area is about 150 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
An Osaki city official said it was hard to promote tourism against the backdrop of the suffering caused by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
"We cannot stage a campaign saying our resort is unscathed when residents in the coastal area of the prefecture are observing 49th-day memorial ceremonies," the official said.
Tourist destinations throughout the Tohoku region are facing a slump at what should be one of their busiest times of the year. The Golden Week period, which runs from April 29 to May 8 this year, is one Japan's main holiday periods.
A sightseeing boat in the scenic Matsushima Bay area in Miyagi Prefecture, which normally attracts about 3.6 million visitors a year, resumed sailings April 29. Only 326 tourists used the service on the first day, less than 20 percent of what would normally be expected during Golden Week.
The area is known as one of the nation's top three scenic sites.
About 40 souvenir shops and hotels have reopened in the area.
The ground floor of Masashi Kawaguchi's store was flooded by the tsunami but he managed to reopen April 25.
"We want to send a message that Matsushima is alive and well," said Kawaguchi, 46. "There are only a few tourists, but the number has increased since we reopened."
In Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, hotels and inns were fully booked before the disaster for the city's cherry blossom festival, being held from April 23 to May 8. Half of those reservations were canceled after the quake.
Festival organizers have decided to donate about one third of the 300-yen admission fee to Hirosaki Castle, a key festival venue, to the quake-hit region.
The resumption of full service on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori on April 29 apparently gave a much-needed boost to the city.
Tourists were scarce prior to Golden Week, but booking accommodations on or after May 1, when cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom, is becoming difficult.
In May, the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization plans to start a campaign in the Tokyo metropolitan area to lure back travelers.
The organization was established in 2007 by prefectural governments, East Japan Railway Co. and JTB Corp. to stimulate the local economy through tourism.
The organization set a target of increasing the number of guests staying at least one night by 500,000 annually to 46.5 million in 2013. But it is reviewing that goal due to the March 11 disaster and the nuclear plant accident.
Masashi Okatake, president of Rakuten Travel Inc., said the Tohoku region's famous summer festivals hold the key to reviving the industry's fortunes.
"Although people are beginning to reconsider the idea that they should not go out and spend out of consideration for the quake victims, group tours have not returned," Okatake said. "It is necessary to come up with eye-catching events to increase the number of tourists."
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