Post bubble

Having lived in Japan for nearly 15 years, I have questioned many things. I have seen many things I cannot understand and one of those many things is why there are so many abandoned houses and many types of abandoned businesses. I always wondered why not sell the property or knock it down or sell the land. In Tokyo where land is rare, In fact so rare that many children cannot play outdoors due to no parks for them. I started to notice more and more buildings that really interested me so I talked to local businesses and owners to find out why, what, how, and when. Simply after the bubble burst so many people lost their job, lost their business but, they were stuck with the property because during the bubble people bought a lot of properties and land as the land was cheap and money was aplenty. Unfortunately during the burst of the bubble, owners couldn't sell their land or properties so they were stuck with them. They pretty much kept the property closed to avoid paying tax and worked for a company to stay afloat. After their death, relatives inherited the land or properties and still don't knock them down or sell them due to the tax they would have to pay. A never-ending vicious circle.