Due to Japan's plummeting rural population and aging demographics, many hotels built during the country's economic "bubble era" (late 1980s) are now unused and gradually decaying. This article explores the transition from luxurious resorts to ghostly ruins, with particular focus on once-popular "scenic platform" features now lying deserted. Despite the melancholic vibe, these sites have become destinations for urban explorers, photographers and nostalgic former patrons.

The abandonment of these bubble-era hotels embodies Japan's economic and demographic challenges - an aging and decreasing population combined with the burst of the 1980s economic bubble. Many Japanese have a sense of nostalgia for this period as it represents a time of economic prosperity. However, these abandoned facilities have also become a symbol of waste and economic failure.

In the US and EU, abandoned facilities are also a frequent occurrence due to economic recessions or shifts in industry trends. However, unlike Japan, these places often become revitalized as venues for arts, gastronomy, or even housing in an effort to promote urban renewal. The differences in approach often boil down to regulatory differences and societal attitudes towards old buildings.