Nintendo heir rescues scenic Kyoto canal with $2.5m donation

Historic waterway to complete renovation work stalled by city budget crunch

Mar 25 (Nikkei) - An heir of the late Nintendo's founder will donate about 300 million yen ($2.48 million) to restore a historical canal in Kyoto, the city said Wednesday, kick-starting a project stalled by lack of public funding.

Called the Takase River, the canal was built in 1614 and has been leaking water due to age and damage to the dike. Kyoto sought to refurbish the canal by relaying stones and by laying down waterproof sheets.

Work on the project began in 2010, and roughly 1.8 km of the canal was finished in fiscal 2020. But Kyoto's fiscal strains have put the project in limbo.

Then a foundation led by an heir of Nintendo founder Fusajiro Yamauchi stepped in and covered part of the 530 million yen needed to finish refurbishing another 900 meters. Work will begin next fiscal year, which starts in April, and is estimated to be finish in fiscal 2024.

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