I have this image of Shirakaba Lake being a bustling resort area during the 80s, with lots of hotels lining the artificial lake, souvenir shops, and small restaurants. Of the dozen or so hotels in the area, fewer than half of them remain open. And the ones that didn't make it stand there rotting through the years. It's amazing how they allow them to stay there, only boarding up a few windows and doors. Looking through some of the windows, you can still see the lobbies and coffee shops exactly the way there were the day the doors shut for good.
