旧:雷電温泉郷

In November 2020, I drove along National Route 229, the Sea of Japan Oiwake Soran Line. After touring the tourist spots in Iwanai City, I stopped off here on my way back from Suttsu and Shimamaki Village, feeling nostalgic. I had stayed at Raiden Onsen Ryokan once in the 1980s and twice more around 2002. I decided to stop by this hotel because I had heard that all the hot spring inns had closed down. I visited it for the first time in about 18 years and was shocked to see how it looked! 👀‼️😱 The hot spring resort, along with the surrounding area, has become an abandoned hot spring resort. At first glance, it looked quite desolate. The windows were shattered, probably due to the winds blowing off the Sea of Japan, and the dilapidated interior was clearly visible, making it a truly abandoned hot spring resort. 💣 Looking back at the documents from that time, I saw that this hotel was a six-story reinforced concrete building with around 50 rooms, and it stood out from the national highway. ☺️ The bath area also had a rock bath and a bubble bath. I remember enjoying delicious dishes made with fresh seafood 👏. The Raiden Onsen Inn was founded in 1963 (Showa 38), the same year that National Route 229 opened. There were once as many as nine hot spring inns in the area, and it was a bustling place 👏. The Hotel Raiden where I stayed was the largest hotel at the time. However, it closed down in 2007 (Heisei 19). Since then, a succession of hotels have closed and gone out of business, including the Kanko Kato Ryokan, which closed down in 2012 (Heisei 24). However, after Hotel Raiden closed, Hotel Hachiichi, which was renovated and reopened in 2011, was also forced to close the following year 😱. The last remaining inn, Miuraya Ryokan, which was said to have a great view from its elevated position, closed in September 2019 (Reiwa 1). 😱 All of Raiden Onsen's historic hotels and inns are gone. 💣 Has Iwanai Town also abandoned the hot springs? It would be understandable if Raiden Onsen's hot springs dried up and it could no longer function as a hot spring inn. But with a history of around 60 years, and the place name Raiden making it a tourist destination, could the town, tourist association, and others have done anything to revitalize the area? 😠 Iwanai Town has other hot springs and other attractions, so it's unclear whether Raiden, including tourism, was not given much attention. 💥 I heard that during its heyday, it made a significant contribution to Iwanai Town. I apologize for my outsider opinion, but it was a tourist attraction with over 60 years of history. 🆗 As someone who enjoyed this hot spring resort, it's a shame that nothing could have been done before it became like this 😭. I plan to visit again this year (2022), even though reviews say the area will be vacant 🚗💨.

I wonder why Raiden Onsen fell into disrepair. It was just the right distance from Sapporo, yet just the right distance, so I think its location wasn't bad. And the beautiful Sea of Japan was right in front of it. I loved the open-air bath at Hotel Kanko Kato. I think it was on the second or third floor. I never got to go to Asahi Onsen, which was further back. Kitayuzawa Onsen (when Yokoyama Ryokan and Sanso were still there) Niimi Onsen, Koikawa Onsen... Charming hot springs are disappearing one after another...

I don't think it's been long since it became a historic site, but it seems to be in a pretty dilapidated state, partly because there are no people nearby.

I remember staying at a hotel in Raiden Onsen a long time ago (about 30 years ago). The hotel is gone now (T ^ T) I wanted to go again (T ^ T)

Unfortunately, Hotel Raiden has become a ruin. I feel sad because I have so many memories of my youth there.