Haikyo

The Japan BE Laboratory may well sound like a science-based business of some kind or other, but actually, this rapidly decaying retreat near the equally ramshackle hot spring resort of Atami, a couple of hours from Tokyo, was instead centred around assisting those labelled as lacking in self confidence.

A place that fortunately, like many of Japan’s ruins (or haikyo), was pretty much effortless to enter.

Inside, however, nature and the vigour of a few vandals have really taken their toll, although considering the place’s past purpose, it’s still not hard to imagine the reticence of those reclining,

and no doubt declining, to tackle a couple of turns at table tennis.

And more than likely,

far from just a few beers would have been gulped down in the hope of garnering the necessary gumption for a game of golf.

In fact, even for the staff, an insufficiency in assertiveness wouldn’t have seemed too out of place as, with a till and telephone combination as complicated as this contraption,

tablets may well have had to be taken.

Quite possibly washed down with something cold from the kitchen.

But besides competitiveness and state-of-the-art technology for its time, this semi-secluded spot did have its serious, and possibly slightly suspect, side. As, while more mundane methods such as meetings were obviously still a mainstay,

it’s possible that other, more atypical techniques were tried out. One in particular which, while decidedly difficult to decipher, involved two windowless rooms that were sealed on one side by stainless steel doors and offered two extremely contrasting forms of expression — the more conventional karaoke, disks for which there was certainly no dearth of,

and the rather more unusual practice of writing willy-nilly on the walls.

The jumbled mass of messages dating from when the centre seems to have ceased operations in 1999, to some done a decade or so earlier.

None of which really shed much light on what the purpose or procedure was,

although by candle light it certainly seemed sinister, making the lobby appear far more appealing than it actually was.

In part 2, I take a look at the private rooms for the patrons, and some of the belongings they left behind. Plus a couple of surprises that caused far more concern rather than confidence.

Standing big and bulbous at the side of Sagami-ko in Kanagawa Prefecture, the Hotel Royal was hungrily looking to penetrate the lucrative love hotel market, but after functioning for what must have been a pathetically short period of time, it pulled out prematurely, apologised, and packed up — at least partially.

A sorry state of affairs that has left the office furnished but unfrequented,

and the keys for the considerable number of rooms uncalled for.

However, heading up the stairs, the decor does begin to deteriorate, with all the lager long gone,

and a situation health and safety would be somewhat unsatisfied with.

But that said, the rooms themselves remain surprisingly unsullied,

although their nobility in name only,

perhaps hints at why the business went bankrupt.

And even reminders of the reason they were rented out,

thankfully remain as unused as the rooms once were.

A situation that may also have had something to do with the Royal taking the unusual step of incorporating a restaurant on the top floor. A space that is now little more than a dumping ground for detritus of all descriptions,

which peculiarly includes a pet’s cage, and perhaps more predictably, the hotel’s vital video collection.

An eatery where, when privacy would have been paramount, people may possibly have been prompted to pontificate over pasta on how horny the dog happened to be,

or even the performances of Pussyman 3’s predecessors.

Big thanks to Mike for giving me the location of the hotel, and his pictures of the place can be seen here. Plus, for those after more ruins/haikyo, there’s always the previously posted mining town, cable car and Sports World hotel complex to have a look at.

After featuring Sports World’s fast fading offices and facilities in Parts 1 and 2 respectively, it’s finally time to take a look at the now bankrupt business’s once well maintained, and especially well equipped, world of water.

Large, and in a leafy location, the sprawling complex certainly didn’t make any cuts when it came to equipment, but it is now difficult at times to differentiate between what was classed as inside, or out,

although the main outdoor pools once looked as amazingly lovely as this.

However, a mere decade after the doors were closed, it’s now a decidedly different sight,

with graffiti rather than good times the main attraction.

And, rather bizarrely, particularly considering the time period it was operating in, a fair few of the staff were foreign.

Yet somehow even their blue eyes and bleached blonde hair didn’t do the business, especially if one considers that the above picture was taken only three years after the complex opened. So, even if the place now looks very different, there’s at least one thing that the current state still has in common with its past — a considerable lack of customers.

Meaning that despite its size, there’s a distinct possibility that the slide seldom saw much use.

Although considering the once movable medical facilities,

that was maybe just as well.

But, regardless of how pathetic the place has become, it’s nice to see that politeness, however put on, is still paramount.

And that, at least as far as Sports World is concerned, is that. But, for those who missed them and wouldn’t mind a meander, parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.

For the management team left in charge of somehow steering the doomed Sports World holiday complex away from disaster, the final few years can’t have been much fun, and, as highlighted in Part 1, they didn’t exactly hang around when it all inevitably ended in disappointment.

There again, the rest of the staff it would seem were similarly swift to say sayonara, leaving rooms for the taking to anybody that now turns up.

Although those that do will have to nestle down with nature,

with a few of the balconies now offering far more greenery than guests may feel is good for them.

Still, the view, while a little wild, is still welcoming.

Even if it is a far cry from its much more pristine past.

And, as far as indoor amenities go, it’s a similarly sorry story, with the pool not even passable for paddling.

However, that’s not to say it hasn’t managed to retain a certain ambience of sorts, making it a nice place to sit — albeit silently — in the sun.

The restaurant on the other hand is really just a wreck,

and meals of any kind are completely off the menu.

That said, those of a considerably more cleanly nature are surprisingly still catered for,

although the showers which, as well as being in a state of disarray, are also decidedly disquieting.

As is the gym, which now arguably resembles a medieval torture chamber,

rather than a modern-ish amenity.

In the third and final part, there are images of Sports World’s huge outdoor facilities, with more ‘now and then’ pictures, including a few salvaged snaps of some of the former, and foreign, staff. Plus, for anyone who missed it and may be interested, part 1 is here.

Considering the current economic climate, a trip to Sports World a week or so ago was particularly apt.

Conceived during the bubble with the bank presumably backing the project with a ludicrously large loan, this sprawling Sports Resort Hotel at the top of the Izu Peninsula was opened in 1988, only a year before prosperity went pop. And, ten years later, after an impossibly optimistic opening,

the business too went bang.

A decade that, due to the site’s sumptuousness and size, must have been a stressful one to say the least, with the technology of the day,

no doubt making more noise than the till.

And even the acquisition of less archaic computers,

along with confidence boosting cups,

couldn’t have made the conferences any more comfortable.

This armchair on the other hand may have offered at least some sort of a rest bite,

but in the end, with nothing saved for a rainy day except company emblazoned umbrellas,

the staff were left with little option but to leave,

after perhaps loitering for a little while in the bar,

and having one last blow out to add to the already bulging bill.

In Part 2, some the the resort’s fast-fading indoor features are featured, including rooms, a pool and the gym. Plus a few pictures of the place blooming in its brief, bubble-era buoyancy. And in Part 3 there are images of Sports World’s huge outdoor facilities, with more ‘now and then’ pictures, including some of the staff.

In addition, for more haikyo, there’s always an abandoned mining town to have a meander through, or even a crumbling cable car for more loan-based lunacy.