Overview

• Bradburn navigated overgrown pathways, unstable staircases and perilous drops while surveying five to six of roughly 20 sprawling hotels along a riverside cliff
• Interiors remained remarkably intact with arcade machines, taxidermy animals and half-finished drinks offering a window into the resort’s 1990s heyday
• Japan’s inheritance laws impose a 30-year moratorium on demolition when owners die without heirs, leaving the properties frozen in legal limbo
• The country’s low crime rate has prevented looting and vandalism, enabling the hotels to endure largely untouched for decades
• Bradburn’s findings were published across multiple outlets on July 23, 2025, spotlighting rural depopulation and the lasting legacy of Japan’s economic downturn