The giant sinkhole that opened up at a major intersection in Fukuoka, Japan last year was shocking, but there appears to be at least one unexpected beneficiary from the incident: the 7-Eleven store next to it.
The “unsinkable convenience store” has reportedly seen a dramatic increase in its business, with students flocking to the store in the belief that it might bring them good fortune.
According to RocketNews24, students have been thronging the store to buy Kit Kat bars, which is a popular good luck charm because its name sounds like “kitto katsu”, meaning “surely win” in Japanese.
“This place appeared blessed by the gods of perseverance. And even if students didn’t really believe it, how could it hurt to buy a piece of that sacred spot?” the Japanese news blog wrote, adding that the students hoped to get protection in their time of need.
In fact, a sign has been put up at the store informing customers that an assortment of Kit Kat flavours are now available.
The store had to close temporarily after the massive sinkhole opened and swallowed the five-lane road in front of it on Nov 8 last year.
The hole, which was apparently caused by nearby subway construction, measured 15 meters deep, about 27 meters wide and about 30 meters long, according to The Japan News.
No one was injured in the incident.
The street was re-opened just one week later, with the efforts of the workers who toiled around the clock to repair the sinkhole attracting widespread praise and worldwide attention.
However, Reuters subsequently reported that the road was once again closed later in November when the newly paved road showed signs of sinking again.
Photo GalleryGiant sinkhole swallows up busy road intersection in Japan’s Fukuoka city
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