Haunted Hotel | Okinawa, Japan
8 Nov
From the moment I landed on Okinawa I heard stories of different houses and areas that were haunted by ghosts. One of the most popular ghost spots is at the Royal Hotel near Nakagusuku castle ruins in Nakagusuku village.
The story behind the haunted Royal Hotel is a Naha businessman decided to build a luxury hotel on the hillside of Nakagusuku castle.
 (Medium).JPG "Haunted Hotel")
The major problem was there were no blueprints when the building began.
Many villagers warned the businessman that the grounds were sacred, but he ignored all the warnings and continued to build. The man spent millions of dollars trying to build the perfect hotel. Warnings about the hotel being close to sacred land and restless spirits continued to be ignored.
Some of the workers left after hearing the warnings, and many others left the hotel only after several workers died in construction accidents.
Eventually the businessman lost all his money and went bankrupt. It has been said that the businessman went insane shortly after the failure of his hotel.
The hotel was left unfinished. There are many stairs that lead to nothing throughout the entire hotel. I didn’t experience anything strange, but the hotel does give off a weird vibe.
You can read more about this story and many other Okinawan ghost stories from the book, “The Ghosts of Okinawa” .
Here are some of the pictures I took when I went there with my wife and friend Ashley.
.jpg "Haunted Hotel sign")
.JPG "Haunted Hotel Rusty locker")
 (2).jpg "Haunted Hotel Skull")
.jpg "Haunted Hotel Stairs")
How to get there
From Camp Fosters legion gate, go straight through the first light and follow the signs leading towards Nakagusuku for about 1 kilometer where you will take a right. After making the right turn you will follow the signs straight all the way until you reach Nakagusuku on your right side. I went through the castle ruins and then onto a paved road that led to the hotel.
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Hi Jay, nice set of photos and an interesting mini-adventure. Sounds like something worth trying out, finding old abandoned places to explore.
Jay, you didn’t say if you believed in the ghost stories or if you felt the presence of any spirits there. Do you? Did you?
@brb
Thanks for stopping by and checking it out. The hotel is massive. I spent at least an hour there and I dont think that I got to venture around the whole hotel.
@Jason
I put somewhere at the end of the story that I didn’t feel anything strange happen. However, I was trying to get my wife and friend to come back and check it out at night with me. That didn’t happen though. The place does feel a little creepy….even during the day.
As for believing in ghosts…..hmmmmm! Its difficult for me to believe in something I haven’t personally experienced. I wont say that I don’t believe in them completely though.
I heard about this place when i got here in ’06. To the skeptics, i say there IS something there. A friend and I visited it on a “ghost hunt” trip one afternoon, and let me tell you… it’s not a place i would go alone. There are places like the boiler room that look like something out of Silent Hill, the air is dense down there, and you do get the feeling you’re ‘being watched’. when we started out the trip, we went to that one massive room that’s next to … i guess you could say power distribution room, the big circular one that overlooks the sea to the southwest. He was joking around and making a scary face like he was a ghost, so i took a pic, and about 100 ‘orbs’ showed up in the photo. i took other photos in the same room and none of them turned out like that one. We then went next door and as i stood photographing the power room, he took a pic of me. In my photo, i got the orbs again, but in his, there was some purplish cloudy thing right above my head. We also got the orb phenomena when we were in the boiler room. With TWO different cameras, shooting the same corner, at the SAME TIME, we got orbs in the same place… the dark corner to the right just before you walk through the door into the tank room.
The scariest thing i captured, however, had to be the videos. I shot one of the grave that has that tiny stream running behind it. In the vid, i walk forward and zoom to show the detail in the writing on the little stakes (i thought it was neat and needed to be documented, LOL) but as i cross the threshold under the archway, some white cloudy stuff shoots across the top of the screen. We then made our way down the hillside, to where the little holes are dugout on the side of the hill, and the little house-shaped things are all shoved inside. I start the vid of my battle-buddy taking pics of one of the house things, and as i pan across to the left, there’s a figure of a man(?) and he’s all purple. (Keep in mind i didn’t notice this until i got home to examine the data.) As i move the camera across, the figure starts to float up and shift along to the left with me, thus debunking any theory of it being a stationary object with goofy lighting. creeped … me … out!
If you think the photos on this site are creepy, you should see the rest of the place… like the “locker room” a place where it’s obvious occult practices have been… practiced. i got a strange photo there, too.
My friend and i probably spent 4-5 hrs there, and shot about 90% of the grounds, not including the castle… It’s kinda funny… all you have to do to see this place is pay about ¥300 for the “castle tour” then immediately veer off the path to the hotel. We NEVER went to the castle, we just hunted ghosts until it got dark. Weird thing is, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is you visit the hotel, some hallways are pitch black… bring a flashlight.
To the author of this page: if you are interested in my findings, i’ve got some stuff i’d be willing to share with you. Just give me photo credit and they’re yours.
-OP
aka. ‘Sarge’
@Sarge,
You story definitely sounds interesting. I would be willing to take a look at what you got and possibly putting it on my website. Giving you the photo/video credit would be no problem at all. Just shoot me an email and we will go from there.
Thanks for sharing your story!
sweet, i got the stuff on a disc somewhere, i’ll look for it this weekend and upload it to photobucket or something
good evening, this message is for the “Operator”. I am a Marine currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I am planning on going to check out the hotel that is being spoken of(if not the castle, as well) but my question is, if i go with about 3 or 4 other Marines in my unit, not a tour but on our own, do we have to pay to see at the least the hotel. Moneys not an issue, im just wondering because im trying to work out the details of the trip for the 4th of july 96 that we just started. If you get this message before friday, operator, a reply would be greatly appreciated so i can i get word passed to my fellow Marines as to what is needed to go. Great review though, i like visiting haunted places and seeing if i cant encounter whatever it is that is there, plus i just like seeing new places. Once again, any response would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
US Marine
I was stationed in Okinawa from 95-99 and went to the hotel on numerous occasions. The hotel is definitely interesting and it does have a certain feel to it. Back in 97, about six of us went there one night and “toured.” It was pitch black and very scary. We did hear various sounds throughout the tour and didn’t know what was going on. Later, we came across a room that looked as if someone was actually living there currently. We didn’t know what to think…we simply left the area…later we found out that there is a monk living in the hotel…so if you go and see/hear noises it could be ghosts or it could be the monk going around scaring people.
becknels,
I have heard many people mention that a monk lives there. I tried to check out as many room as possible and it looked like some squatters could have possibly taken refuge there, but I didnt see a monk. It probably would have made the trip better. I apluad you for checking it out at night, that would have been pretty creepy!!
Has anyone heard about the airing of Ghost Hunters or a similar program from this hotel? In June of 2008 I was visiting my in-laws who are living in Kitanakajusuku while building the new BX on Kadena. We visited many castles and found ourselves curious enough to venture into the hotel, not knowing any history at that point. We began seeing cameras placed here and there, and came across alot of high tech equipment and helmet-cams. Then these two Japanese gentlemen asked us to leave because they were getting ready to start recording data… as we left we saw two more vans pulling in with more video equipment. I thought, ” This has to be Ghost Hunters International.” But I cant find anything about such an episode. Very interesting place, and very beautiful view of the ocean and the sea from a point on a hill between the castle and the hotel.
Jason,
That is a pretty crazy story. My wife is a huge fan of that show so I will have to see if she has seen anything about a possible episode from the haunted hotel. It is pretty cool that you went there when they had all the equipment setup and ready to shoot. I would definately be interested in seeing that episode if it exists.
Keep me posted if you find anything…thanks for stopping by!
A group of us went up their a few times at night and we had to hop a fence and hike up a small hill, but it was amazing! If the hotel was ever to be finished it would have made a beautiful and very unique hotel. Although we did not see any ghost, it was still scary! I would have loved to walk through it during the day! I know when we went in 2002, there were a lot a marines that would go up their and shoot around their bb guns at each other and try to hit others walking though it. It does have an amazing view at the top were the night club was suppose to be!
I actually was in this hotel back in 1987 and 1988. It was scary yet awsome and you could picture something wonderful. The huge waterslides, the zoo in the lower areas, the thing was just masive and definatley awsome. I would love to see some more pictures. Possibly some showing the slides and the pool. It was just so cool.
Some of my friends and I went to the hotel quite a few times and always at night back in the late 80′s. It was very creepy but we kept going. We even found a few “hidden” rooms. You could only get to them through hidden doors in closets. The place was unusual, beautiful and creepy. We were teenagers at the time, but I have often thought about that place over the years and I think it would be a wonderful place for the show Ghost Hunters to investigate.
When we were there, we heard noises, saw shadows, etc. I would love to visit it again!
i’ve been stationed in okinawa a couple times. back in the late 90′s is when i first experience the haunted hotel. the first time i went with a rather large group of people. it was late, dark, and hella scary. we were given directions to the hotel but didn’t know the layout. we actually parked at the monastery and snuck up behind it, climbed the hill, and trecked through the jungle in the dark to arrive at the hotel. we ended up on the backside of the hotel and walked along the side until we got the grassy knoll area (nearest to the castle). at that time, we gathered ourselves, took our one tiny maglight and entered the hotel.
we witnessed a door begin to open by itself (could have been the “monk” who lived there). this, ofcourse, scarred the shit out of all of us. we ran, tripped over all the debris we couldn’t see, and eventually stopped. as we tried to explain what we just saw, we were interrupted by rumbled overhead. it started low and slowly grew louder to the point where it was distractive enough for all of us to quiet down and look at each other in confusion. we had enough at that point. we left.
on another trip, again with a good number of people (maybe 5), we were once again coming up on the hotel from the backside. as we walked along the side of the hotel one of my buddies stopped us with a “what’s that?” he was pointing to a window that was, from where we were standing, on the second floor (the hotel really is built in a unique manner and hugs the mountain. it more or less has sublevels rather than floors or stories that rise up. that’s why i say it was the second floor from where we were standing). what he was pointing at was a room that was being very faintly illuminated. we could not see the source of the light but we could see the room dimly lighting up. the lighting slowly dimmed out and the slowly reappeared in the adjacent room. that was probably one of the most amazing things i’ve seen. i really don’t know how to explain it. it’s much easier to come up with explanations for noises (of which, i’ve heard many from the haunted hotel) but SEEING things is a completely different story. and YES-we were the only ones there.
i’ve also been up there when other people have claimed to see figures of people and shadows peering out of distant windows. i’ve never seen this but the person who claimed to see it started crying (yes, girl) and wanted to leave immediately. so, either she was really putting it on to mess with the rest of us or she sincerely thought she saw something.
lastly, there is a cave at the top of the hill near the tower of the hotel. i had heard about it for years but never actually found it until around the 2006 timeframe. it’s said to be sacred and contains many shrines. i began to explore but quickly got the feeling that i was intruding so i got creeped out and left.
is the hotel haunted? i don’t know. do ghosts exist? again, i don’t know. however, if there is a place that would be a perfect setting for a haunting, the royal hotel is it. it is surrounded through the jungle with old, forgotten and crumbling tombs. the sacred cave, close proximity of the nakagusuku castle, and the unconfirmed story of how the hotel came into existance with working dying, etc…the place sure as hell has a creepy feeling to it.
Bad news – the so called “haunted hotel” is now off-limits to SOFA status personnel and their families. I went there twice and, although I am not convinced that it is haunted, it is creepy. When I was talking to some friends one of them showed me the order and asked me if I knew that it was off-limits. Bummer!
gliza,
Thanks for sharing your stories about the haunted hotel. Your experiences sound pretty amazing compared to the times that I went there. I never went there at night, but it was still pretty creepy during the day.
Dan,
Wow, I didnt realize that the Haunted Hotel was off limits. Would happen to be able to get a copy of the order stating that it is off limits? I would like to incorporate the document on my website.
Thanks for the info!!
I was in the Air Force and was stationed in Okainwa from 96′-98′. I visited the hotel in 97′ with a group of about 10 – 15 people on a moon lit night (gliza you may have been in that group from the sound of it). The walk up to this place was an adventure, as we parked on a dead end street and walked up an overgrown trail that had multiple family tombs. I remember a tower on the property or near the property and a cave with a very small entrance. I remained outside of the cave as other inspected it. I remember seeing someone peering at as from the tower. Since I was only one of two people not in the cave, I didn’t have a flashlight (I brought extra beer but no flashlight… go figure) and therefore could not make out who or what was watching us.
We encountered a man who was living in one of the rooms. I remember seeing a shadow and following it to a room. Most of the doors were gone but this one room had a door. Someone knocked on it. After few minutes it slowly opened and a little man in a white outfit stood looking at us. He seemed to be as terrified as us.
I remember being a bit dismayed at the amount of graffiti… most of which was in english…
We didn’t encounter any unexplainable things but I have shared that experience with a lot of people. It was one of the more memorable experiences I had while there.
The off limits order is here
http://www.kadena.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100602-003.pdf
uggghhh. I just visited that place about two weeks ago by accident. I went to vist the castle ruins and kept looking at this huge structure behind the castle. I finally made my way to the back and took some of the same pics that you took. I did not know any haunting stories because I was just walking through the grounds. It was a bit off to see such a massive structure just sitting there unattended and abandoned. I walk through the first 50 yards then turned around as I was by myself and no one knew where I was-
No ghost stories or shadows to report…just beautiful graphetti artwork and the weird vibe from the place.
I was around 13 when I first stepped foot on that hotel with my Okinawan friends. We stole my friends moms little truck and got beer and cigarettes and decided that we would take an adventure there. It was very scary being there and we herd sounds coming down the halls, but nothing happen…at least that’s what we though at the time. That night we went back to my friends house and we all crashed there and when we woke up in the morning, my friends grandmother that lives with him was splashing sake and salt all over us kids. She made us go outside and told us to go back to where we went because we brought back a bad spirit with us and it needed to be taken back to where it followed us from. So, we ended up going back to the hotel and sprinkled salt around ourselves and headed back. Later that day my friends grandmother told us to be careful for awhile because it might find us and follow us again. Two weeks later my family and I were in a car accident, friend Fuzima was hit by a scooter and was in the hospital for a while, Arisa fell down the school steps and and broke both her legs, and Shouta got into a jet ski accident with his dad and almost died. (but didn’t thank God) So, that hotel is diffidently hunted. I’m half Okinawan and I was born and raised there and I just want to warn people not to step foot on hunted land. It’s not worth it. Okinawa is a beautiful Island, but with a lot of spirits that never found peace.
i was on okinawa last year by myself and i got really close to this hotel purely by coincidence as i wandered off a bit from the old castle. at the time i figured somebody was building a huge mansion on top of the hill and i considered taking a closer look but thought better of it. now i wish i’d gone inside.
I have heard the stories and tried to get directions to the hotel with no luck. My friend and I went to the castle today and seen the hotel in the distance and wanted to venture to the Hotel. Is the only way there via the ruins or is there an actual road that leads to the hotel?
@christina: no, you can walk to the top of the castle and just keep walking and it will take you to the grassy knoll, right of the road as you’re looking at the hotel.
also, there’s a dirt trail that wraps around the mountain that we use to access by climbing the hill behind the monastery but don’t go that way…it’s just disrespectful in my opinion. the only reason we use to go that way is because we didn’t know any other way to go at the time.
if you want to get adventurous and go and night, you’re going to have to get creative. now, i’m not telling you to do this, i’m just saying it’s one way we use to go. at the entrance of the castle (where you pay before proceeding to walk up the hill), there is a gate. it looks easy to climb over but don’t do it because there is a sensor and you WILL set off an alarm.
instead, go to the left of the main gate and climb through the barbed wire fence…it may sound intimidating but trust me, it’s nothing. there’s quite a bit of space to fit through. then you just proceed up the hill, walking through the castle and eventually you will get to the hotel. be careful though because the castle grounds are really uneven and, even during the day when you can see, it’s easy to roll an ankle. also, don’t park your car at the entrance. find a place a little bit away and walk to it.
have fun, be safe, be smart, be respectful. once again, i’m not telling you to do this-especially because DOD members are now prohibited from going there but i will say this, it’s a crazy place and will likely result in a very memorable time.
final warning-if you find yourself in the hotel, especially at night, please be very careful. there are quite a few hazards in the hotel. the hotel is falling apart. there are rooms where the ceiling has collapsed in, areas where the wooden floor is weak and broken, debris, rusted objects and broken glass all over the place and a few holes in the ground that just drop to the floor below. if you stay aware of your surroundings, you’ll be fine…but please take heed. also, the cave is very slippery and you will most definitely slip and bust your butt if you try to enter.
have fun!!!!