Hotel Aoi Tori (Fujinomiya City)

In Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture, stands an abandoned hotel, “Hotel Aoi Tori” (Blue Bird), said to have ended its business amid a rumor that a woman was murdered. The building has been left to decay and has been spoken of as one of the best-known haunted spots in the prefecture.

History: How It Came to Close

No official record has been confirmed of when, or in what circumstances, Hotel Aoi Tori ended its business. A rumor that “it closed after a woman was murdered” is widely told on the internet, but no incident record or press report supporting this rumor can be confirmed at present, and the facts are unknown.

Fujinomiya City, where the hotel stands, is a municipality with Japan’s greatest difference in elevation, 3,741 meters, and looks up to Mt. Fuji to the north. Centered on Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha, said to have been founded by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in 806, it holds many heritage sites of Mt. Fuji worship, including Shiraito Falls, Yamamiya Sengen Shrine, Murayama Sengen Shrine, and the Hitoana Fujiko ruins. It is a tourist city said to have drawn six to seven million visitors a year, and a place where many lodgings have long been run.

In other words, a location at the foot of Mt. Fuji has long nurtured the business of providing lodging to pilgrims and tourists. That some inns end their business in such a place is not unusual. In the case of Hotel Aoi Tori, as noted above, no public record showing how it closed can be confirmed.

In a popular tourist area, the shape of travel changes with each era. As group tours gave way to individual and small-party travel, what was asked of an inn changed too, and some inns could no longer continue. This is a general tendency, and there is no confirmable material to say whether it applies to this hotel. We believe that writing what is not known as not known is the minimum honesty required in writing about this place.

Why Is It Called a Haunted Spot?

Besides the rumor of a murder, the ravaged state of the interior of a building left abandoned for a long time after closing, and accounts of lights coming on in the windows at night and human figures being seen, have been told on the internet. Most of these rumors, however, are hearsay and have not been verified as paranormal phenomena.

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Access and Location

Hotel Aoi Tori is an abandoned hotel within Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture, standing on private land. The building has deteriorated badly, and even from the outside the danger of collapse is apparent.

Please note that the position on the map is an approximate coordinate based on public information and may differ from the exact point.

Current Situation

It continues to be left undemolished, and because it is private property and there is a danger of collapse from deterioration, entry is prohibited.

Our Reflections

From here we fill in, with our own inference, the parts for which no reliable record can be obtained. First, we want to note that no press report or incident record can be confirmed for the rumor that “a woman was murdered.” This is our inference, but perhaps the very appearance of a hotel that closed and fell to ruin invited the story that “it must have closed because something tragic happened.” Compared with plain reasons such as a business that stalled, an aging building, or the absence of a successor, a reason like an incident is easier for people to accept.

We also think the nature of a hotel as a building plays a part. A hotel is a place where strangers stay for one night and leave the next day. The presence of countless people passes through and stays in no one’s memory. When such a space becomes empty, the rooms and corridors left behind make one strongly feel only that “someone was once here.” In our view, ghost stories of abandoned hotels are this “trace of nameless people” converted into fear.

The name “Aoi Tori” (Blue Bird) cannot be overlooked either. An inn that carried the name of the blue bird, a symbol of happiness, eventually falls to ruin and becomes the stage of a ghost story. This contrast seems to give the rumor even more sadness and irony. This is our inference, but the brightness of the name may have set off the darkness of the ruin and stirred the imagination of those who tell the tale.

There is no material showing that the woman said to be the victim of the rumor actually existed. Speaking as entertainment of the death of someone who may be real, without confirmation, is not what this site wants. For that reason, in this article too, the existence of a murder is treated as “unknown.” Also, because the building stands on private land and there is a danger of collapse, entry is prohibited. This record is meant to quietly read how rumors of ruins come to be.

As reasons why a closed hotel is left abandoned for a long time, practical circumstances such as sorting out ownership and rights and the cost of demolition are generally cited. Demolition costs a considerable amount, and on land where profit cannot be expected, a building may remain untouched. This is only a general remark and does not describe this hotel’s circumstances. Still, the longer the state of “no one touches it” continues, the more only the ruin visible from outside stands out, and a story comes to cover the building. In our view, the strength of a rumor is proportional not to the certainty of what happened but to the length of time something has been left abandoned.

Also, this building was once the facility of a business that operated here, and for the people who worked there and the people who live nearby, it must have been a place of living and a place of work before it was the stage of a story. We avoid assertions that would hurt the former management or employees, and we write the confirmable facts and the mere rumors separately. A ruin is also the trace of someone’s life. We want to keep writing in a way that does not forget this.

This article also touches on a topic related to death. If you are carrying painful feelings, please do not bear them alone; consult the Yorisoi Hotline (0120-279-338, available 24 hours, in Japanese).

Nearby Recommended Spot: Shiraito Falls

In Fujinomiya City is “Shiraito Falls,” where hundreds of streams flow down like silk threads over a width of about 150 meters. A scenic spot registered as a component of the World Cultural Heritage “Mt. Fuji,” its rare appearance, in which snowmelt from Mt. Fuji wells out from a fault in the lava, is overwhelming. Promenades and cafes are developed around it, and many tourists visit through the four seasons. After visiting the hotel, it may be nice to take in the grand scenery of the falls.

Notes for Visitors

Hotel Aoi Tori is a ruin on private land, and because there is also a danger of collapse from deterioration, entry onto the premises is prohibited. Never commit acts that amount to trespassing or property damage, even to the exterior of the building.
* KARASU CHANNEL does not recommend entering haunted spots.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I still go to Hotel Aoi Tori?

A. No. It is a ruin on private land and its deterioration has advanced, so entry is prohibited.

Q. Was there really a murder at Hotel Aoi Tori?

A. Such a rumor is told on the internet, but no incident records or press reports supporting it have been confirmed, and the facts are unknown.

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Q. Has KARASU CHANNEL filmed on location at Hotel Aoi Tori?

A. No. We are not currently conducting fieldwork at Hotel Aoi Tori, and are considering doing so. You can watch our filmed visits to other haunted spots and ghost-story sites on KARASU CHANNEL (YouTube).