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Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Man discovers 'ghost town' full of empty, eerie hotels: 'Like a time capsule'
An urban explorer has uncovered a hauntingly preserved resort town in Japan, where towering hotels sit crumbling along a riverside cliff. It's been untouched for over three decades, according to reports. Luke Bradburn, 28, stumbled upon the forgotten tourist destination of Kinugawa Onsen during a trip to Japan in early 2024. While his original goal was to document the Fukushima exclusion zone, Bradburn ventured beyond the area and found a "ghost town." "I was scouting other nearby locations when I came across this entire district of abandoned hotels," Bradburn told news agency SWNS. "It was like walking into a ghost town." Kinugawa Onsen was once a bustling resort town renowned for its natural hot springs. It began to decline in the early 1990s during Japan's economic downturn. As tourism dried up, many hotels shuttered. But due to the country's strict property laws, the buildings were never demolished. Many remain in legal limbo after owners either died without heirs or disappeared altogether, according to SWNS. "It was like walking into a ghost town." "It's very different in Japan," Bradburn said. "The crime rate is so low that abandoned buildings don't get looted or destroyed as quickly." He added, "In some cases, they need the owner's permission to demolish, and if the owner died, they legally can't for 30 years." What remains today appears to be an eerie scene, with an entire street of massive, multi-story hotels slowly rotting away. Bradburn, who is from Greater Manchester and is now a full-time explorer, spent six hours navigating overgrown paths, broken staircases and precarious drop-offs around five or six of the roughly 20 structures, said SWNS. He would often move between buildings through interconnecting corridors. "From the outside, it's all overgrown and decaying," he said. "But inside, some of the rooms were pristine - like no one had touched them in decades." "Some of the rooms were pristine." Bradburn found himself in hotel lobbies filled with forgotten remnants of the past - traditional Japanese onsen baths, untouched rooms, even drinks still sitting on tables, the same source reported. "One of the strangest things was walking into a lobby and seeing a massive taxidermy deer and falcon still standing there," he recalled. "It was bizarre. I'd seen pictures of it online before, and then suddenly we were face to face with it." Some spaces felt like time capsules, he said. "We found arcade machines still filled with toys, tables set with drinks and rooms that looked like they hadn't been touched in decades," Bradburn said. "It was surreal." He said much of the area was extremely dangerous to navigate. "There were floors missing, staircases hanging down, parts where you had to backtrack because everything had collapsed," he said. "It was really unsafe in some areas. You had to be so careful." Bradburn said the entire experience, overall, was emotional and disorienting. "Each [building] felt like stepping into a time capsule," he said. "You get a sense of what life must've been like here at its peak - and then it just stopped," he said. "It's eerie, sad and fascinating all at once." Kinugawa Onsen still draws some curious visitors, said SWNS, but the ghost town of abandoned hotels stands as a quiet and mysterious relic of Japan's tourism boom and bust. Much of it remains hidden in plain sight, as Bradburn's experience indicated - still waiting to be further discovered.
The Sun
23-07-2025
- The Sun
Chilling city of abandoned hotels left to rot for 30 years in forgotten tourist hotspot with drinks still left on tables
A GHOST city full of eerie, abandoned hotels has stood untouched in Japan for more than 30 years. A Brit explorer has documented his haunting visit to the once bustling tourist hotspot. 11 11 11 11 11 Luke Bradburn stumbled upon the district of Kinugawa Onsen while exploring the Fukushima exclusion zone in early 2024. Famed for its natural hot springs, this area would once have been buzzing with tourists and holidaymakers. But Bradburn's exploration found the town in a much sorrier state. Vast hotel buildings loomed over a cliffside river in a condition of disrepair and decay. The abandoned ghost town is full of spooky reminders of its past glory, with arcade machines, taxidermy animals and even half-finished drinks littered the old hotels. Bradburn spent six hours exploring Kinugawa Onsen, making his way through a handful of around 20 buildings. The 28-year-old from Bury said: "It was like walking into a ghost town. "There were abandoned cars on the streets and while you could drive through the area, every building around you was just left to rot. "When we stepped inside, the contrast was mad. "From the outside, it's all overgrown and decaying, but inside some of the rooms were pristine - like no one had touched them in decades." TSA Urges Travelers: Avoid These Cyber Security Risks at Airports The town met its decline during an economic downturn Japan faced in the 1990s. But while the hotels ended up closing, the country's property laws mean many of the buildings were never demolished. "It's very different in Japan," Bradburn said. "The crime rate is so low that abandoned buildings don't get looted or destroyed as quickly. "In some cases, they need the owner's permission to demolish and if the owner died, they legally can't for 30 years." He managed to explore around five or six of the eerie hotels through interconnected corridors and hallways. 11 11 11 Bradburn made his way through abandoned lobbies, and found traditional Japanese onsen baths. Some rooms were so well preserved it was almost like the guests had only just departed. But others were falling apart more visibly, with missing floors and staircases hanging down. "Each one felt like stepping into a time capsule," he added. "You get a sense of what life must've been like here at its peak and then it just stopped. "It's eerie, sad and fascinating all at once." 11 11 11
