An urban explorer has discovered a haunting, deserted city of hotels in Japan, abandoned and untouched for over three decades. Luke Bradburn, 28, from Bury, Greater Manchester, stumbled upon the forgotten holiday destination of Kinugawa Onsen, formerly a thriving resort town renowned for its natural hot springs.
Bradburn journeyed to Japan in early 2024 to document the Fukushima exclusion zone. While searching for other nearby sites, he chanced upon the derelict hotel quarter. What was once a flourishing main street has become a ghost town featuring dozens of enormous hotel structures gradually crumbling alongside a clifftop river.
Several hotels remain frozen in time, packed with arcade games, stuffed animals and even beverages still resting on tables. Bradburn dedicated six hours traversing wild vegetation, crumbling staircases and perilous precipices, investigating several of the approximately 20 vast structures.
Bradburn 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.'
Kinugawa Onsen started declining during Japan's financial crisis in the early 1990s, as visitor numbers dropped and numerous hotels closed their doors permanently. Japan's stringent property laws have left many buildings untouched, as some owners passed away heirless or disappeared, resulting in a legal stalemate that prevents demolition.
Bradburn added: 'It's very different in Japan. 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 described the experience as 'eerie, sad and fascinating all at once.'
