October 5, 2009
TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese inn so popular that people would book three years in advance to stay in a room said to be inhabited by a child spirit of good fortune has been razed in a blaze, the fire department said Monday.
A guest staying in the room failed to see the "Zashiki-warashi", a glimpse of which can bring great fortune according to local folklore, but luckily escaped before the Ryokufuso inn in northern Iwate burned down on Sunday night.
"I waited for three years to stay in the room after making the reservation," he told Japanese television, standing outside the destroyed wooden structure in the inn's Japanese room-wear kimono. "I'm surprised and shocked to see this."
A local official said there was no indication of arson.
"One of the guests jumped from the second storey and hurt an ankle, but no major casualties were reported," he said.
