Photo/Illutration Evacuees from the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake gather in the lobby of Kaga Hyakumangoku, a ryokan in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Feb. 6. (Tomoyoshi Kubo)

KAGA, Ishikawa Prefecture--Scores of evacuees from the Noto Peninsula earthquake are being told they will have to move before trains begin to run March 16 on an extended section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line.

Those affected are staying at hotels and inns in the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture after moving from evacuation centers in disaster areas.

The Shinkansen project is expected to trigger a burst of tourism and the facilities now caring for evacuees are keen to get their hands on the tourism revenue.

On Feb. 7, a prefectural government official informed the 200 or so people staying at Kaga Hyakumangoku, a ryokan in a hot spring resort here, that they must leave by early March.

“I was shocked,” said Tomiko Nagate, 82, from Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on hearing the news. “I am worried because I do not know what I can do if I am told to find a new place to live.”

Officials said that around 34,000 people were evacuated in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day. They mainly were from the hard-hit cities of Wajima and Suzu.

Officials said 5,135 people had moved to hotels and inns in Kaga, Kanazawa and other municipalities in the southern part of the prefecture as of Feb. 8, while 8,143 others were still staying at school gymnasiums, community centers and other facilities designated as evacuation centers.

From the outset, the hotels and inns said they could only accommodate evacuees through February or March because the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line, which currently links the prefectural capital of Kanazawa with Tokyo, will be extended to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.

Many of those lodging facilities are located along the extended section, which will have two stations, Komatsu and Kaga Onsen, in the prefecture.

The extension is expected to usher in a resurgence of tourism that evaporated after the magnitude-7.6 earthquake devastated the northern part of the Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1.

The cancellation rate of reservations at accommodation facilities in the prefecture following the temblor came to more than 60 percent.

The prefectural government is building temporary housing in disaster areas.

About 1,300 units are expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of March. Survivors have filed applications for more than 7,000 units.

Kazuhiro Matsuoka, 42, who evacuated from Wajima with his wife, Wakako, 39, said they cannot decide where they should go because it remains unclear when basic infrastructure will be restored in their hometown.

He also voiced concern about finding the right elementary school for their child to attend.

Accommodation facilities are also in a bind.

The manager of a ryokan in Kaga said it cannot continue to accept evacuees beyond the deadline because reservations are coming in for March.

The government will offer a travel subsidy program for Ishikawa and three other prefectures in the Hokuriku region in March and April to support the quake-hit tourism industry.

Hisahiko Yoshida, president of Kaga Hyakumangoku, said there would be no kicking out evacuees even if the deadline passes because he understands the hardships they are going through.

“We must restore the original image of Ishikawa Prefecture as a ‘tourist site,’ away from a ‘disaster area,’” said Yoshida, 40. “I expect the government to lay out a solid exit strategy for earthquake survivors in terms of housing, jobs and other aspects.”

(This article was written by Tomoyoshi Kubo and Eriko Nami.)

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