Cancellations hit hotels, tours in western Japan after rain disaster

Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, known as one of Japan's oldest hot springs, is usually bustling with Japanese and foreign tourists. But a local cooperative representing about 30 hot spring inns found that more than 3,000 people have cancelled their reservations at hotels and inns following torrential downpours earlier this month, KYODO NEWS reports.

"Maybe people think that the devastation extends across the prefecture," said an official at the cooperative.

"Simple calculations show cancellations by 3,000 people are equivalent to a financial loss of about 45 million yen ($399,000). If we take the impact on nearby shops into account, the damage is even greater," the official added.

Ehime, along with Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures, was hit hardest by the rain and ensuing flooding and mudslides, which left 223 people dead, according to the National Police Agency.

For full version go to