Spa Resort Hawaiians (aka Joban Hawaiian Center) (Iwaki)

Japan / Fukushima / Iwaki
 hotel, amusement park, swimming pool, hot spring, onsen
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Spa Resort Hawaiians (スパリゾートハワイアンズ), located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is a resort and theme park in Japan. It opened on January 15, 1966 as the Joban Hawaiian Center, becoming the first in the country.

The resort was an outgrowth of the mining industry. The Joban Mine had become the Japan's largest mine in 1944, and business continued booming through the 1950s. As Japan's economy shifted from being powered by coal to oil in the 1960s, though, the owners realized that its useful life was limited. Yutaka Nakamura, the vice president, was determined to extend the mine's life somehow, and hit upon the idea of using the area's hot springs, an inconvenience to the mines, to open a resort. He selected a Hawaiian theme.
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Coordinates:   36°59'34"N   140°48'55"E
This article was last modified 12 years ago