Abandoned Rotting Onsen Resort Hotel in Japan

The rooms were tiled, wired, plumbed, and fitted with TV, air-conditioning, soft chairs. Some were furnished and carpeted — but now the only residents are urban explorers and ghost hunters. The Rotting Onsen Resort Hotel eventually closed its doors in 1999.

The building was left abandoned in the middle of the Japanese countryside, an 8-floor skeleton of what promised to be a quiet and peaceful hot spring resort.

Onsen (温泉) is the Japanese name for a hot spring; the term also extends to cover the bathing facilities and traditional inns frequently situated around a hot spring.

Many of the rooms were still in great condition, with television sets, tables, chairs, cushions, and cupboards packed with futon. Most of the floors turned out to be like that – room after room of dusty tatami mats and Japanese-style tables. The lower floor, however, had a rather luxurious bar and karaoke room painted a vibrant red by the chic seat covers and glass mirrors. Old karaoke books filled with songs and even vinyl disks were left lying around.

Other rooms however were much more befitting of the title of this post. Sunken floors and rotting tatami mats, rainwater trickling in, and doors cracked and fallen. A small refrigerator sat precariously on a section of floor that looked set to give way at any second.

Seriously, the atmosphere was incredible. How could a place like this have closed down?

Gregory Hooqe

Expert on Urban Planning and Abandoned Places