24 Eerie Abandoned Places with Dark Pasts and Even Darker Secrets

21. Hachijo Royal Hotel: Japan’s Forgotten Luxury Escape

Once one of the largest hotels in Japan, the Hachijo Royal Hotel on Hachijojima Island was built in the 1960s to be Japan’s answer to a tropical getaway, mimicking the lavish French Baroque style with grand staircases, elegant corridors, and ornate decorations. The island, located south of Tokyo, was marketed as the “Hawaii of Japan,” but as international travel became more accessible, domestic tourism to the island declined. By the early 2000s, the once-opulent hotel was completely abandoned. Today, vines creep through shattered windows, grand ballrooms sit in eerie silence, and moss-covered chandeliers dangle from the ceilings. The decaying remains of the hotel's European-inspired luxury now feel almost otherworldly, a strange contrast to the dense jungle that has begun reclaiming it. Though closed to the public, it has become a legendary site among urban explorers who dare to venture into its dark, crumbling hallways and ghostly, overgrown gardens.