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Kadokawa to Shut Down Anime Hotel, Narita Airport Shopping Venue
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
Kadokawa stated that the "EJ Anime Hotel" struggled to attract customers since it opened in October 2020, and the hotel's guest room occupancy rate did not progress as expected. The company added that the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel's lack of convenience due to its distance from the city center, and the high cost of 33 guest rooms had a negative impact on the hotel's profit.
The hotel, located in Tokorozawa City in Saitama Prefecture, is part of the Tokorozawa Sakura Town facility, which itself is part of Kadokawa and Tokorozawa City's collaboration project "Cool Japan Forest Vision." The purpose is to draw foreign visitors to the often neglected Saitama area.
The hotel's theme is interactivity, and includes event spaces, museums, and a shop selling original merchandise. The hotel opened with rooms themed around the KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!!, A Certain Scientific Railgun T, BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero franchises.
The "Narita Anime Deck," which opened in 2019 at the Narita International Airport Terminal 2 main building, was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic the following year. The store's closure will likely have an effect with the Anime Tourism Association's "88 Japanese Anime Sacred Sites to Visit" program, which was developed in conjunction with the store. The program designated the Narita International Airport as its starting point or "Temple 0."
Sources: Kadokawa (link 2), Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
