Temporary Shopping Mall Opens in Disaster-Hit City; 5 More Scheduled to Open Across Noto Peninsula

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, August 16, 2024

NANAO, Ishikawa — A temporary shopping mall opened Friday in the central part of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered major damage in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Local residents, who had been waiting for the reopening of familiar stores, were overjoyed.

The mall is expected to serve as the first step in bringing back the hustle and bustle of the city. “The Nanao municipal government is ready to support the shopping mall so that the positive effects extend to the entire city,” Nanao Mayor Yoshitaka Chatani said at a ceremony.

The 344-square-meter temporary shopping mall is made up of prefabricated buildings. Four shops affected by the earthquake, including a coffee shop, resumed business in the buildings. Rent is free for the first two years.

Fans and regular customers visited the coffee shop Friday. A coffee roaster and other equipment were brought from the old location which had been affected by the earthquake. This helped recreate a little of its original atmosphere.

“I’m glad I can finally eat my favorite pancake again,” said a 36-year-old company employee in the city.

At a hair salon that resumed business in the shopping mall, its owner set her 90-year-old mother’s hair. The hair salon had been in business for more than 40 years, but its building was damaged in the Jan. 1 earthquake.

Since the owner was not able to find a new place, she had received customers in the building with visible damage to the walls. “I’m really happy that I can work here with a sense of security. I will work hard without rushing too much,” she said.

According to the Ishikawa prefectural government, other temporary shopping malls will be constructed in five locations across Wajima, Suzu, Shika and Anamizu by early October.