Decades after its glamorous heyday, the seaside town of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, is undergoing a quiet revival ¡ª thanks in part to non-Japanese residents who are buying abandoned properties, opening businesses and reshaping daily life in the once-fading resort town.
In the early 1980s, Ito embodied the excesses of Japan¡¯s bubble era. Massive hot spring resort hotels and exclusive clubs lined the coast, including the Kawana Hotel where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had famously spent their honeymoon. The town became a place to impress friends or woo potential lovers.
So iconic were some of Ito¡¯s tourist attractions that television and radio jingles for resorts such as Hatoya Hotel could be found on karaoke machines across the country.
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