Abandoned Kansai

Awaji Island is famous for onions, octopus crackers, and hamburgers. Not internationally, but locally. In Kansai. And in Shikoku. Two areas the island connects with bridges, but not by rail, which makes it hard to navigate for most tourists. There are some buses, and you can rent bicycles at several places, but without a car your movement there is limited. Over the years I’ve been to Awaji Island about half a dozen times and I enjoyed every trip tremendously – the food, the landscape, the ruins; including legendary locations like the *World Peace Giant Kannon* and the *Kuroshio Lodge*, though my favorite place is probably the (not abandoned) Hompuku-ji water temple by Tadao Ando.

The Awaji Island Love Hotel was a rather unspectacular one. No exotic name, no exotic rooms, but plenty of vandalism. Some rooms were equipped with slots machines and I found a PlayStation controller and a Famicom with controller – both as retail versions, not the rather rare lease versions for hotels; though the latter gave me bad “China Says” vibes. Overall a rather unpleasant exploration, as abandoned love hotels often are. But hey, I came all the way from across the bay and over the spectacular Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, so I did the dirty deed and took some photos before I left. I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Merry XXX-Mas everyone!

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