Hotel stay offers new way to support animal welfare in north-east Japan
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About 5 per cent of a hotel concept room’s revenue and sales will go to a fund at Morioka Zoological Park Zoomo to support facility improvements and conservation work.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY
TOKYO – A hotel stay in Iwate prefecture, north-eastern Japan, will soon double as a small act of animal welfare under a new project inviting guests to support conservation efforts simply by spending the night.
Morioka Zoological Park Zoomo and its partners have launched a crowdfunding campaign to create a concept room themed on animals and nature at Yunomori Hotel Shidotaira in Hanamaki.
The fund-raising campaign runs until May 24, with an initial target of 5 million yen (S$40,000) to outfit the room that can accommodate up to four guests.
The themed room will feature furniture printed with animal motifs and will be decorated with artificial plants and plush toys to create the feel of “satoyama”, traditional rural landscapes where people and nature coexist.
If funding surpasses the initial goal, organisers plan to add interactive exhibits engaging the five senses, such as animal sounds and scents, to bring visitors closer to nature.
About 5 per cent of the room revenue and other sales will go to a fund at Zoomo to support facility improvements and conservation work, including the rescue and care of injured or sick wild animals.
Zoomo director Tsunenori Tsujimoto said he hopes the project will deepen visitors’ connection with the natural world. KYODO NEWS
