AIZUWAKAMATSU, Fukushima -- Anime and manga fans have flocked to a ryokan inn located in the Ashinomaki hot spring resort town in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, because its stairwell lobby bears a striking resemblance to a place depicted in the blockbuster manga and anime series "Kimetsu no Yaiba" (Demon Slayer).
The inn, Ookawaso, went viral on social media once photos of its lobby surfaced.
The story is set in Japan's Taisho era (1912-1926) and tells the tale of a boy who becomes a demon slayer after his family was slaughtered by a man-eating demon and his sister, his only surviving family member, is turned into a demon herself. He begins his quest seeking a cure for her demon curse and vengeance for his slain family.
Since around spring of this year, a number of comments have been posted online, pointing out the similarity between Ookawaso and Mugenjo (The Infinity Castle), a lair inhabited by the story's antagonists.
Mugenjo, which first appears at the end of Vol. 6 in the manga, is a interdimensional space where a seemingly neverending number of stairs stretch in a variety of directions. Here, one of the enemy's underlings called Nakime plays a stringed instrument called a biwa as she sits upon a "floating stage."
Although the manga's publisher Shueisha Inc. has said that the inn has "is in no way affiliated with the manga," Ookawaso also has a floating stage upon which shamisen performances are held every evening. Fans of the series have raved about the inn on social media with comments such as: "This is now the ryokan I want to visit most. It looks just like Mugenjo!"
Ookawaso opened its doors for the first time in 1953, and in 1989, built the 10-story annex that currently houses the lobby with the floating stage.
After reopening from a coronavirus-triggered temporary closure that lasted from April to June, the inn has been filled with visitors clad in replications of the checkered haori jacket the protagonist wears or those carrying stuffed toys depicting the story's characters. Some even visit for the sole purpose of getting a picture of themselves in the lobby.
"I feel like Nakime is really sitting right here," said a 9-year-old girl from Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, who was staying at the inn on Nov. 1 with her parents.
With such a large number of enthusiastic fans coming to Ookawaso, the inn's general manager said, "At first, I had no idea what the manga was even about." To be able to properly respond to any questions the guests might have, he quickly researched the story and characters online. He said that even now the inn is receiving a high number of reservations and said, "I can only be thankful [for this turn of events]."
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