Japanese Town Spends COVID-19 Relief Money… On A Giant Squid Statue
Image via TheTonarinopoti (fair use for press)
Noto, a seaside town located in Ishikawa prefecture in Japan, has caught the attention of the world after it used money from its COVID-19 relief fund to build a giant statue of a squid.
The squid, measuring 43ft across, now lies in the port of Noto, as the town is famed for its flying squid delicacy. Though Noto officials have yet to confirm the exact amount, it has been reported that the town coughed up 25 million yen (US$228,500) to construct the statue.
According to the BBC and Yahoo Japan, Noto had received 800 million yen (US$7.3 million) in national grants, which were intended to be used as an emergency economic boost to help towns affected by the pandemic. While Noto has had very few cases of COVID-19, it’s been hit hard by the decline in tourists.
A spokesperson for the town said the statue was to be a tourist attraction, and part of a long-term plan to help promote Noto’s famous squid dish. Take a closer look at the giant squid statue below.
[via BBC, video and cover image via TheTonarinopoti (fair use for press)
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