Kanazawa: The central Japan city of Kanazawa has been hit by cancellations of reservations as tourists hesitate to visit the city near the Noto Peninsula, heavily damaged by the Jan. 1 earthquake.

Tourism industry people in the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, though with mixed feelings, are calling on tourists to “visit Kanazawa to back up the Noto region.”

Kanazawa, known for such tourist attractions as Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s three outstanding gardens, received only limited damage from the 7.6-magnitude Noto Peninsula quake, which hit hard the northern part of the prefecture, notably the cities of Wajima and Suzu.

Since the temblor, the Kanazawa city tourism association has been receiving inquiries about whether it is possible to visit the city for sightseeing and whether such a visit would not disturb quake-affected locals.

Despite some damage such as a collapsed stone wall of a mound in the Kenroku-en garden, many tourist spots in the city have returned to normal. Kanazawa Castle Park reopened Saturday.

A Kanazawa government official said, “To inquiries, we reply that tourists can visit the city while giving words of caution about a possible aftershock.”

Still, Omicho Market, called “the kitchen of Kanazawa people,” has seen a very small number of visitors, with some restaurants still closed. It usually attracts some 30,000 people including tourists on weekends.

The number of visitors plunged to some 20 pct of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic, with domestic tourists showing a notable decrease, according to Hiroyuki Ishiyama, an official of the Omicho Market Association.

Many seem to think that the whole of Ishikawa is as seriously damaged as Noto, Ishiyama said. “Visiting Kanazawa will lead to supporting Noto.”

The “Kaisendon Ichiba” sushi restaurant in Omicho Market, has been forced into smaller-scale operations due to a decrease in visitors.

“I desperately hope that customers will come,” said Tamotsu Sakajiri, who works at the restaurant.

“I have an emotional conflict, though, about getting busy” while leaving others left behind, he added.

Akira Oshino, head of the Kanazawa Castle & Kenroku-en Garden Management Center, also expressed mixed feelings. “We are of course happy to have more visitors, but the Noto region has had such huge damage,” he said.

“There is an atmosphere that stops us from saying openly ‘Visit us,'” an official of the Kanazawa Ryokan and Hotel Cooperative Association said. “I hope tourists will come back when the safety is fully restored.”

JIJI Press