KYUSHU, Jun 02, 2026 (News On Japan) –
One of Kyushu’s most distinctive eating locations, the underwater restaurant Manbo in Yobuko, Saga Prefecture, has quickly closed after 43 years in operation as building advances on a brand new and modernized substitute scheduled to open this autumn.
Known nationwide for Yobuko’s well-known stay squid dishes, Manbo supplied guests a novel expertise not like every other restaurant in Japan. Located offshore and related to land by a bridge stretching roughly 77 meters, the restaurant featured eating areas beneath sea stage, permitting company to take pleasure in seafood whereas gazing via giant underwater home windows on the surrounding marine atmosphere.
For many households, a go to to Manbo turned a treasured reminiscence. As news unfold that May thirty first would mark the ultimate day of operations for the present facility, clients traveled from throughout Japan to expertise the restaurant one final time.
“I heard it was the last chance, so I made a reservation and came,” stated a customer from Miyagi Prefecture. “The squid sashimi was delicious.”
The determination to shut the prevailing restaurant was made by second-generation president Yoshiko Ota, who cited ageing infrastructure as the first purpose.
“The building itself is now 43 years old and deterioration has become significant,” Ota defined. “Parts such as the handrails have suffered corrosion, and we determined it was time to make a change from a safety perspective.”
Ota added that accessibility issues additionally influenced the choice.
“There are steps and design features that were not considered problematic when the facility was built 43 years ago, but today issues such as barrier-free access are important. We wanted to rebuild with those needs in mind.”
The present underwater restaurant opened within the early Eighties. Documents preserved from the development interval reveal the daring nature of the venture, together with a written pledge submitted to the Saga governor on the time promising that the construction could be eliminated if the enterprise failed.
“It shows how much passion went into building it,” Ota stated.
On its remaining day, Manbo welcomed 149 teams totaling 428 clients. When service ended at 4 p.m., employees lowered the restaurant’s conventional noren curtain for the final time.
“I feel happiness, but it also brings back many emotions,” Ota stated.
Although operations on the present facility have ended, work on the brand new underwater restaurant is already nicely underway at a shipyard in Nagasaki that can have a good time its a centesimal anniversary subsequent 12 months.
The substitute construction is being constructed utilizing shipbuilding strategies. Engineers assembled the restaurant from 27 separate blocks, together with sections for the bow, underwater eating space, and rooftop deck.
Under Japanese legislation, the restaurant is assessed as a vessel regardless of having no engine. It is supported by 4 pillars extending from the seabed and is categorized as a moored vessel.
To guarantee the brand new restaurant can function for many years, particular measures have been included to fight corrosion, one of many important components behind the closure of the unique facility.
Among the brand new applied sciences is an anti-corrosion system that sends a weak electrical present via the construction, creating what engineers describe as {an electrical} barrier towards rust. Specialized coatings have additionally been utilized to the hull, with cautious consideration paid to color thickness and long-term sturdiness.
“Rust is the biggest enemy,” stated venture chief Yoshihito Ito. “We discussed extensively how to ensure the structure can last another 40 years.”
The venture reached a serious milestone when the finished outer hull was launched into the water. Shipyard staff and venture officers gathered to witness the second, which builders described because the vessel’s “birthday.”
Launching the 450-ton construction into the ocean required cautious preparation and exact management.
“There is always tension when launching something of this size,” one engineer stated. “It’s a very special day.”
For Ota, the completion of the hull introduced each reduction and duty.
“I was happy, but more than anything I felt pressure,” Ota stated. “Now that such a wonderful facility has been built for us, we have to make sure we operate it successfully.”
The new Manbo will characteristic even bigger underwater viewing home windows than the present restaurant, offering guests with clearer views of marine life and making a extra partaking expertise for youngsters and households.
Meanwhile, the unique construction is about to start a brand new function. Rather than being scrapped, the retired restaurant will probably be sunk off the coast of Nagasaki and reworked into a synthetic reef, the place it’s anticipated to offer habitat for marine life and function a spawning floor for fish.
The renewed underwater restaurant Manbo is scheduled to reopen in Yobuko this autumn, persevering with a convention that has made it considered one of Saga’s most recognizable sights for greater than 4 many years.
Source: KBC