MORIOKA, Iwate Pref. — An inn run by a family whose roots trace back to the 1330s had a special room that attracted guests ranging from prime ministers and industrialists to regular tourists until the establishment was razed by fire in October.
The blaze on the night of Oct. 4 swept across 3,000 sq. meters of land, destroying the main building of Ryokufuso, erected more than 300 years ago, and a portion of a two-story structure before it was brought under control seven hours later. The Enju-no-ma (Japanese pagoda tree) inner room was also gutted.
Since the blaze, people have raised several million yen as part of a drive to rebuild the inn, which was one of more than a dozen along with Western-style hotels that make up the Kindaichi hot-springs resort in the mountains of Ninohe, Iwate Prefecture.