A railway diorama is available at a hotel in Osaka’s Nanba district. (Video by Ryuta Sometaya)

Photo/Illutration A faithfully reproduced railway diorama set up in a special room at Fraser Residence Nankai, Osaka, in the Nanba district of the city’s Naniwa Ward. The photo was taken on Feb. 15. (Ryuta Sometaya)

OSAKA--A local hotel operator thinks it has found a model solution to getting business back on track after the coronavirus pandemic caused its usual customer base to dry up.

The hotel has outfitted a room with a model railway set and other train-related fittings in the hopes of drawing in rail buffs and hobbyists from across the country.

Fraser Residence Nankai, Osaka, located in the Nanba district, has started accepting bookings from those eager to see the faithfully reproduced diorama of a Nankai Electric Railway Co. line.

“We would like guests to feel as if they are going on a trip with the diorama, since traveling is currently difficult,” said a Fraser Residence official.

The hotel’s train room has a model train diorama, measuring 1 meter by 2.5 meters, that includes replicas of Nankai Nanba Station, a burial mound in Sakai, a mountainous area in Wakayama Prefecture and other features of the surrounding area.

The set is equipped with special lighting so the diorama can be illuminated when the room is dark to produce a nighttime ambience.

Before the novel coronavirus began to spread, overseas sightseers usually made up more than 90 percent of the guests at Fraser Residence.

But as it watched its guest numbers plummet, the operator decided something had to be done.

So, in October last year, it set up a train-driving simulator, along with seats from Nankai Electric Railway’s express train Southern, and a table once used on the deck of the express train Rapi:t.

The special offer drew a lot of attention and reeled in family guests on weekends. Fraser Residence representatives attribute its success partly to the government's Go To Travel campaign, which was designed to encourage people to take more trips.

After that, Fraser Residence added a diorama to the room to make it more attractive to railway lovers.

It commissioned a local model maker to complete the special diorama in just three months.

The 77-square-meter room has two beds and the room charge starts from 39,000 yen ($357) per night, after tax.

It also offers a day-use package for at least 25,000 yen, including tax, for guests who stay there between 3 p.m. and midnight, Monday through Thursday.

Guests can bring their own train models and use them on the set.

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