A brisk tailwind is blowing to revive tourism in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, the Sounzan station building of the Hakone Tozan Cable Car and Hakone Ropeway opened, while the long-established Fujiya Hotel is set to reopen next Wednesday after renovations. The Hakone Tozan Railway is also scheduled to resume full operations on July 23 for the first time in about nine months after a typhoon struck the area last autumn.
"That is what Hakone should be like. We want to see people return to enjoying summer," said an official of the Hakone town tourist association.
The volcanic alert level for the Owakudani valley in the town was raised to 2, which regulates an approach to the crater, in May last year -- prompting an entry ban to Owakudani, a popular tourist spot. The alert level was lowered on Oct. 7, but the Hakone Tozan Railway was battered by Typhoon No. 19 on Oct. 12, forcing the railway services to be suspended due to a landslide.
Then, in the middle of recovery efforts, the outbreak of the virus began plaguing Hakone. According to a survey by the Hakone hot spring inn and hotel cooperatives, the number of guests staying at local lodging facilities dropped about 90% in both April and May from the previous year under the "triple blows."
After the declaration of a state of emergency was lifted, tourists began to gradually return to the area. However, the number of tourists is "far from what it used to be," an official of the municipal government's tourism division said.
Still, Hakone perseveres, and a new station building, called "cu-mo Hakone," opened at Sounzan Station on Thursday. The opening, which was postponed twice due to the typhoon and the coronavirus, came three months later than originally scheduled. On the second floor of the station building, a foot bath has been set up, allowing people to soak in the bath while enjoying a panoramic view of the mountains and Sagami Bay.
On Wednesday, Fujiya Hotel will reopen fully for the first time in about two years. Seismic reinforcement and renovation work were completed for parts of the hotel, including its main building, which was built in 1891 and has been listed as a national tangible cultural asset. A hot bath facility was also added on the top floor of a six-story building, previously called Forest Wing.
On July 23, the Hakone Tozan Railway, which usually transports about 7 million to 8 million people a year, is scheduled to resume operations in a section between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora stations. This will lead to the reopening of the "golden course," a popular tourist route in which people get to travel on a sightseeing boat in Lake Ashi, the ropeway, the cable car and the railway in succession.
"These three facilities that have opened or will resume operations are major spots that are located halfway up the mountain. So, people will likely go up to the spots, rather than not just visit Hakone-Yumoto at the foot of the mountain," said an official of the Hakone Gora tourist association.
Additionally, the Hakone Yunohana Golf Course in the town will reopen Wednesday.
A promotional campaign, featuring the animation "Evangelion," was initially scheduled to be held until the end of June, but the period has been extended to Sept. 30. Accordingly, efforts to revive local tourism are underway in various parts of the town.
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