Tourist spots across the nation reopened for business Monday following the recent wave of prefectural governments easing stay-at-home and business suspension requests. However, it may be a while yet before people are able to visit such places like they did prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture, cars with license plates from prefectures outside of Gifu were seen. Local souvenir shops, restaurants and places of accommodation plan to resume operations once infection prevention measures have been taken.
"We're worried about the situation because we won't have any foreign visitors," said a restaurant and souvenir shop owner who plans to reopen this coming weekend.
The Kenroku-en garden in Kanawaza had few tourists on their first day since reopening following 42-day closure. An announcement was broadcast throughout the garden asking visitors to wear face masks.
"I came here in the morning to avoid the crowds, but I was surprised to see fewer people than I had expected," said a 65-year-old man from Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture, Foreigners accounted for roughly 20% of all the traditional Japanese garden's visitors and the operator says that they do not expect foreign visitors to be able to visit again any time soon.
"It's a bit complicated because we can't tell visitors that they can visit us at their leisure. We don't think that the number of visitors will see a quick recovery," said 59-year-old chief of the garden's management office.
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