Urban explorer Luke Bradburn recently discovered a hauntingly preserved resort town in Japan known as Kinugawa Onsen, which has remained untouched for over three decades. Originally set out to document the Fukushima exclusion zone, Bradburn ventured beyond the area and stumbled upon the eerie ‘ghost town’ filled with crumbling hotels, traditional baths, and arcade machines. The town, once a bustling resort, declined in the early 1990s during Japan’s economic downturn. As tourism dropped, many hotels shuttered, but Japan’s strict property laws prevented their demolition. The buildings remain in legal limbo as owners either died without heirs or disappeared, leaving them in a state of decay.
Bradburn, now a full-time explorer, spent hours navigating the area, discovering rooms untouched by time and remnants of the past, creating a surreal experience. He described the scene as a ‘time capsule,’ with hotel lobbies filled with forgotten remnants like traditional Japanese onsen baths, untouched rooms, and even drinks still sitting on tables. One of the most bizarre finds was a massive taxidermy deer and falcon still standing in a lobby, which he had seen in pictures before. He noted that much of the area was extremely dangerous to navigate, with floors missing, staircases hanging down, and sections where everything had collapsed, requiring extreme caution.
Despite the dangers, Bradburn felt a mix of emotions, describing the experience as ‘eerie, sad, and fascinating.’ He emphasized the contrast between the town’s peak and its sudden abandonment, highlighting the preserved state of the buildings as a relic of Japan’s tourism boom and bust. Kinugawa Onsen still draws some curious visitors, but the ghost town of abandoned hotels stands as a quiet and mysterious testament to the country’s past. Much of it remains hidden in plain sight, waiting for further exploration and uncovering.