The Ghosts of Okinawa
by Jayne A. Hitchcock
Copyright © 1995 Jayne A. Hitchcock

Central Okinawa

The Haunted Hotel

This large theme hotel (located adjacent to the Nakagusuku Castle ruins) was built in the early 1980's to look like a village, with streets named after countries, a water slide, large pool, zoo, and more. The most repeated story about why it is abandoned is that the owner was told not to build anymore when construction came close to a cave. Monks at a nearby Buddhist temple warned the owner of restless spirits. He ignored them and soon his construction workers quit. Because he had invested so much money in the hotel, the man went insane and is said to still reside in a local sanitarium. Today, a man reputed to be one of the monks lives in this hotel and guards the spirits that live there.

Either way, teenagers come close to the hotel at night and swear they see orbs of light floating through the broken windows and hear sounds as if the hotel were open for business. The teens call this hotel the "haunted village" because of its unique architecture and often dare each other to go inside late at night.

Boxes of new, unopened furniture and other goods sit untouched in rooms damaged beyond repair. Moldy room screens, tatami mats, mattresses and other furniture can be found in some of the rooms, as can curtains still hanging in the windows. An intricate altar sits high in a tower, which is rumored to be used by the monk guard. One section of the hotel reputed to have been used as a brothel after the hotel had been abandoned bears the marks of a mysterious fierce fire.