Source: 123rf
Today, if you want to visit a location on the other side of the world, all you need is an internet connection and a credit card and that's it.
Connections between one country and another are increasingly simple and airlines are competing to provide fast and comfortable services, even when the expected duration of the route is several hours. If we take a step back in time and go back at the beginning of the sixties, you will realize that traveling abroad wasn't that easy or, at least, it wasn't for everyone.
One of the most evocative lands to visit in any season of the year is Japan, a magical paradise just waiting to be discovered in all its corners, especially the most remote ones. And it's right here, in the enchanting isola di Hachijo-jima, which stands a now abandoned hotel. Nicknamed "the Hawaii of Japan", the island is a little jewel set in the Philippine sea, 287 kilometers from the south coast of Tokyo. It can be easily reached by plane or ferry and brings with it the charm of a timeless place, in which the passage of man is visible, but appears to have stopped years ago.
The Japanese authorities, to compensate for the difficulty of traveling abroad in the 1960s, decided to build resorts closer to their homeland. And the choice on the island of Hachijo-jima also fell for the subtropical climate. Several hotels were built and the largest was the lussuoso Hachijo Royal Hotel, which was a great success especially among the middle class.
Today, the hotel still lays its foundation on the island, but lies in a state of abandonment. Precisely for this reason, it remains around it a magical and silent aura which gives the passing visitor a unique panorama. Inspired byFrench baroque architecture, the hotel is surrounded by gardens containing plaster decorations of Greek statues and now extinct water fountains. The salt water of the sea and the tropical heat caused the deterioration of the hotel, while the vegetation grew free and thick creating a natural external barrier, pleasant to see.
The interiors of the hotel have remained the same, although the wear and tear of time is visible: rubble, encrusted wallpaper, tables, chairs and beds occupy the same place as years ago. However, nature and the state of abandonment have allowed the vegetation to take over and to creep inside the building.
Here is a magical place, where past and present coexist in unison: if you are fascinated by the enchantment of Japan, you cannot fail to include this location among the next destinations you will visit!
