HACHIJO ONSEN HOTEL [JP]
Exploration #277 Hachijō Onsen Hotel. Opened in October 1959 on Hachijō Island, the Hachijō Onsen Hotel was one of the earliest large resorts during the island’s rise as “Japan’s Hawaii.” Expanded over the following decades, it closed in the early 2000s after its hot spring source was depleted.
Initially composed of a two-story wooden main building, a three-story reinforced concrete annex and detached units, the hotel offered 23 rooms, mostly Japanese-style. Travel guides of the early 1960s described it as the island’s only fully equipped modern accommodation. Later expansions brought the total to 48 rooms, along with a large jacuzzi pool, greenhouse facilities and the well-known “Jungle Bath,” arranged along a slope descending toward the Pacific cliffs.
During construction works, significant archaeological discoveries emerged. In 1962 a polished stone tool was found; by 1964 a 7,000-year-old site, later called the Yuhama Site, had been identified. Further excavations in 1977 and 1985 revealed Jōmon pottery, stone tools, ornaments, pit dwellings and graves, confirming the area as a major prehistoric settlement. After closure, parts of the complex briefly saw private use.
Today the reinforced concrete buildings survive in severe decay, with shattered windows and vegetation invading the interiors, while the Jungle Bath has collapsed into dense overgrowth.
