KAGAYA, a 120-year-old Japanese ryokan inn that remains closed after suffering major damage in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, has announced it will reopen by the end of fiscal 2028 with a new seven-story building.
The new property will be constructed on the site of a former annex owned by the group near the center of the Wakura Onsen hot spring resort in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in central Japan. The design is being handled by the office of renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Founded in 1906, Kagaya is a landmark ryokan in the area and widely revered as the gold standard of Japanese “omotenashi” hospitality. It held the consecutive No 1 spot in an annual ranking of top 100 hotels and ryokans in Japan by industry professionals for 36 years through 2015. The long-established inn was seriously damaged in the magnitude-7.6 quake on New Year’s Day in 2024 and is in the process of being demolished under publicly funded work that began in April this year.
In late August, Kagaya President Takatsugu Watanabe told reporters after a groundbreaking ceremony for the new building, “I am relieved we were able to hold the ceremony. We intend to move forward with preparations so we can provide the best hospitality.”
Kyodo
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