Explorer Uncovers Eerie Ghost Town of Abandoned Hotels in Japan’s Kinugawa Onsen

In a haunting discovery that feels straight out of a forgotten era, urban explorer Luke Bradburn, 28, stumbled upon a crumbling relic of Japan’s past in Kinugawa Onsen. This once-thriving resort town, nestled along a riverside cliff, now stands as a ghostly reminder of a bygone tourism boom, with towering hotels decaying in eerie silence for over three decades.

Bradburn, originally set on documenting the Fukushima exclusion zone in early 2024, veered off course and found himself in what he described as a ghost town. The streets of Kinugawa Onsen, once buzzing with visitors drawn to its natural hot springs, fell into decline during Japan’s economic downturn in the early 1990s. As tourism vanished, so did the lifeblood of the town, leaving behind a series of abandoned structures frozen in legal limbo due to strict property laws. Many buildings remain untouched, as owners have either passed away without heirs or simply disappeared.

What strikes the most is the surreal preservation of decay. Bradburn spent hours navigating overgrown paths and treacherous staircases across several of the roughly 20 abandoned hotels. Inside, he found lobbies and rooms that seemed untouched by time—traditional onsen baths, drinks still on tables, and even a taxidermy deer and falcon standing guard in one lobby. 'It was like stepping into a time capsule,' he noted, describing arcade machines still filled with toys and spaces that felt both haunting and fascinating.

Yet, the exploration wasn’t without danger. Collapsed floors and dangling staircases made some areas nearly impassable, a stark contrast to the pristine interiors that hinted at the town’s vibrant past. Kinugawa Onsen, though largely forgotten, still draws the curious, standing as a melancholic monument to Japan’s economic highs and lows. It’s a place where time stopped, waiting for someone—or something—to reclaim it.