World · East Asia & Pacific · 57 mins ago
Former station reopens as diner in Japan's quake-hit Noto district
Residents have revived a former railway station as a diner in Kabuto, a district of Anamizu in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture.
The building once served Noto Railway's Noto Line, which closed in 2005, and had since fallen into disrepair.
The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake damaged or destroyed many local homes, and later flooding caused by land subsidence added to the area's difficulties.
The district has about 300 residents, including many older people and people living alone, and all four local general stores had closed after the quake.
Local residents and people from the area created the diner in the renovated station building, after running a temporary cafe and testing meals.
They hope it will help people rebuild their lives and give them a place to meet and talk.
The diner opens fully on Nov.
8, serving customers on Sundays and other designated days.
A former railway station in Japan’s earthquake-hit Noto district has been revived as a diner and community gathering place.
The diner, Kabuto-eki Shokudo, held a pre-opening on Nov. 1 in the Kabuto district of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture.
It was established by four local men and six women who had prepared and served meals after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
The district’s four general stores closed after the earthquake, leaving residents without a local place to gather.
The diner is due to begin full operations on Nov. 8, opening on Sundays and other designated days.
- Who
- Four local men and six women established the diner, with residents gathering there.
- What
- A former station building has reopened as Kabuto-eki Shokudo, a diner and community gathering place.
- When
- It held a pre-opening on Nov. 1, 2026; full operations are due to begin on Nov. 8.
- Where
- The Kabuto district of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
- Why
- Its founders aimed to help residents rebuild their lives and strengthen ties to the community after the earthquake.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Noto Line closed, after which the former Kabuto Station fell into disrepair.
The Noto Peninsula earthquake damaged or destroyed many homes in the Kabuto district.
Twenty-six temporary housing units were built in the district.
Kabuto-eki Shokudo held its pre-opening in the renovated station building.
The diner is due to begin full operations.
- Location
- Kabuto district, Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture
- Diner
- Kabuto-eki Shokudo
- Founders
- Four men in their 40s and six women in their 60s and 70s
- District population
- About 300
- Temporary housing
- 26 units built in spring 2024
- Full opening
- Nov. 8, 2026
What people are saying
It tastes better than eating alone in temporary housing.
Food tastes better when we eat together rather than when I eat all by myself,
It's been a long time since I had nameko mushroom soup made with local Kabuto miso. It feels as if the general stores we had before the earthquake have returned.