Article by Viory.Video
Soaring fuel prices triggered by the Middle East crisis dealt a severe blow to the cultural symbol of Japan, public bathhouses.
The fourth-generation owner of the over a hundred-year-old Asakusa-yu bathhouse, Akiyoshi Saito, warned that if the ongoing energy crisis is not curbed, the business will be on the brink of survival.
“Fuel costs about 300,000 yen (about 1,884 USD) a month. That’s increased by 50 percent, so it’s 450,000 yen (2,827 USD). That means that what was previously a situation where I couldn’t even pay my own salary is now going to be a complete loss. If this continues for a long time, I’ll have no choice but to close the bathhouse,” he stated.
Footage filmed on Friday in the Asakusa-yu in Takasaki shows Saito starting up the heater to boil water for arriving clients. To heat its bathwater, the bathhouse reportedly uses around 120 litres of heavy oil per day in winter and 70 litres in summer.
“It would be a problem if things didn’t return to normal soon,” Saito commented. “I’m hoping that things will return to how they were before, or at least to around last year’s levels, as soon as possible. If prices and other factors stabilise, then I think we might be able to continue for a while.”
Heavily dependent on Middle Eastern fossil fuels, Japan is currently at its worst since the 1970s. The country receives about 95 percent of its crude oil and 11 percent of its liquefied natural gas imports from the region, with most shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
To mitigate the growing global energy pressures, Japan has rolled out a long list of measures, including unprecedented oil reserve releases, fuel subsidies, and roadmaps to secure alternative resources.
Disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for roughly 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas, has driven up prices and placed imports under strain. Tensions in the region escalated after the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on February 28.
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