Locations of Intrigue

Surveying Abandoned and Mythically Altered Spaces

Throughout my research, I have often focused on the people and entities that are become the hordes of spirits and demons that stalk this good earth. However, I have yet to write on one most potent of mystical nexus: that of the haunted landscape. Over time, buildings, theme parks, and all sorts of other lost spaces can become breeding grounds for yokai, yurei, and all sorts of other aberrations. Indeed, the longer a property sits dormant and untouched by man, the likelihood of a liminal transformation is almost guaranteed. To illustrate my point, I have thus provided the following sites of the strange and the untamed.

The Ruins of the Nagasuku Hotel 

 

This 70's luxury suite is somewhat of a cultural oddity, in that it was never completed, and abandoned as a half-baked construction project. Now heavily overgrown with vines and other green matter, what was once meant to house visitors to the Nagasuku Castle now sits as a concrete skeleton just outside the castle grounds. Though there are no reports of spectral activity in the area proper, those that have explored the ruins have detailed several points of interest within the structure itself.

At the fore of the hotel lies a chamber that has been entirely burned out and coated in soot. While we have no records of a fire breaking out in this region, the oddity of this outcome seems to suggest fowl play (I wager) on the part of ghouls and other ghostly freeloaders. Moreover, the unfinished lobby sports an odd staircase that seems far too small to accommodate any humanoid of an average size, and may have been adapted by smaller monstrosities to suit their own purposes.

Obscurer still is the housing, or rather the lodging of an old sports car within a random room of the hotel property. How or why this vehicle was left and or stranded here is similarly unknown, though it is not unthinkable to suspect this automobile of having once been possessed, or perhaps attacked by the unseen forces. 

This artificial artifice aside, the most macabre feature of this establishment is what was most likely a  underground zoo, hidden in the lower levels of the main building. Though spelunkers have found no evidence that any animals were ever stored in these countless metal cages, this bizarre encampment is ripe for more animalistic spirits and demons. Simple-minded entities might have found such hardware appealing as a possible nest, or, in a more sinister vein, the misused souls of other captive animals might have wandered here unable to find a sense of peace in the netherworld.

The Remains of Tenkaen

On northernmost island of Hokkaido, this "China Park of Heaven" or 'Tenkaen" provides an excellent simulacrum of ancient East Asian architecture. Originally built in the early 90's for the purpose of attracting tourists, this ornamental set of buildings was left to rot no less than several years after opening its doors. The property itself, many explorers note, is pitifully unguarded from the outside, and the average person may easily scale its minuscule walls to investigate what lies within.

That said, make no mistake, this location is not as tame or docile as it would appear at first glance. In building these pagodas in such an imitative manner, the original designers had unwillingly produced a figurative welcome sign to the older, yet equivocally vicious spirits of antiquity. Ogres, goblins, and all sorts of unholy hordes may undoubtedly come across this location, and by way of nostalgia or a lack of wits, will flock to it with the intention of reliving the shenanigans of yore. To that end, this site would serve as a strong contender for paranormal activity, though I severely caution those who would seek it out to exercise prudence in the presence of more aged evils.

The Halls of the Yui Grand Hotel

I include this last location less as a suggestion, and more so a disclaimer, and warning to those that have not already heard its chilling tale. This dilapidated love hotel, located in Chiba, is the alleged site of a crime most fowl. According to local lore, three biker gang members abducted a young school girl, and proceeded to maliciously abuse her until she died in an nondescript room within the establishment. No names or dates have ever been associated with this tale, but the pervasive darkness of its narrative has handily attracted a large breadth of explorers to this site.

Those that have explored the innards of this building have uncovered ashen chambers and bloodstained walls, and in truth, they are lucky to have made it in and out in one piece. Due to the violent underpinnings of this area, trying to interact with or goad any nearby spirits is extremely dangerous, and equally disrespectful to those that may still stalk its narrow passages. For a place intended for amorous encounters and worldly pleasures, I'm certain any venture inside the Yui Grand will only result in the exact opposite. 

Closing Remarks and Parting Advice

In the end, choosing the site of one's paranormal investigation is just as paramount, if not more important than any talk of what one hopes to discover. No living or non-living entity exists in a vacuum, and it is vital to our work to be mindful of the spaces that shape that which we encounter. Until next time, I encourage you all, dear readers, to remain vigilant, and aware of the wrecks and ruins that encompass the edges of civilization.

Sincerely,

C.V. Hastings

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Thanks and Acknowledgments To:

https://abandonedkansai.com/2012/06/26/nakagusuku-hotel-ruin-the-exploration/

https://haikyo.org/tenkaen-china-park/

http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/2009/06/yui-love-hotel-haikyo-chiba/