Inside eerie and abandoned city of hotels that has been 'left to rot' for three decades

An urban explorer from Greater Manchester made the discovery of a life time when on a trip to Japan in 2024. Luke Bradburn, 28, came across the hauntingly preserved resort town of Kinugawa Onsen, where towering hotels are perched crumbling above a riverside cliff.

Kinugawa Onsen was once a bustling resort renowned for its natural hot springs, which attracted tourists in their thousands. However, its decline started in the early 1990s during Japan's economic downturn, and as tourists stayed away, its hotels began to close down. The buildings were left standing due to Japan's strict property laws, which in effect prevented their demolition.

Many remain in legal limbo after owners either died without heirs or disappeared altogether,

The young man stumbled across the resort while on a trip to explore the Fukushima exclusion zone. The area was the site of a major accident that started at the Nuclear Power Plant in kuma, caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

For six hours, Luke the exterior of overgrown paths, broken staircases and dangerous drop-offs.

"It was like walking into a ghost town," he said. "There were abandoned cars on the streets, and while you could drive through the area, every building around you was just left to rot."

The urban explorer then made his way inside some of the abandoned hotels, where time seemed to have stood still. He found himself in hotel lobbies filled with forgotten remnants of the past - such as traditional Japanese onsen baths and untouched rooms.

Luke even came across arcade machines filled with toys and tables set with drinks that were never consumed.

But the one thing that appeared to leave a lasting impression on the Brit was a huge stuffed deer and falcon standing proudly in one of the hotels' lobby.

"One of the strangest things was walking into a lobby and seeing a massive taxidermy deer and falcon still standing there," he recalled.

"It was bizarre. I'd seen pictures of it online before, and then suddenly we were face to face with it."