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Nov 19 2009 14 Comments

Abandoned miner’s houses #3: Forlorn facilities

After looking at some personal effects and the rooms in parts one and two respectively, it’s finally time to see the facilities; areas of the small huddle of mining company-related houses which, despite being abandoned a couple of decades or so ago, are still surprisingly well equipped.

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

And whilst at least one resident appears to have left in a relative rush,

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

others were decidedly more deliberate.

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

Not of course that clean dishes would make cooking dinner any less disagreeable.

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

Meaning it’d be about as tempting as using the toilet. A water closet complete with twenty-year-old used paper for added uncomfortableness.

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

A feeling of filth and fetidness that no amount of cleaning,

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

could ever cleanse.

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

For anybody interested in more haikyo/urban exploration, there are also pictures on Tokyo Times of entirely abandoned mining towns, water parks and also love hotels, along with a whole gamut of other stuff in the haikyo category.

Categorized: Haikyo, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joshua Zimmerman says

    11/19/2009 at 5:46 pm

    I love Japan in decay. There is a certain beauty in Japan’s natural environment taking the country back bit by bit.

    Reply
    • James says

      11/19/2009 at 6:16 pm

      Here we go again……You just summed up wabi-sabi Joshua.

      Reply
      • ait_meijin says

        11/19/2009 at 9:44 pm

        If only it is possible to sum it up at all 😉

        Reply
  2. Goran says

    11/19/2009 at 8:23 pm

    Amazing images as usual. Keep it up. But no more toilet shots please!! 😉

    Reply
  3. Tyler says

    11/20/2009 at 12:17 am

    Lee, have you ever found any evidence to point why an area was left in such a hurry? It just boggles my mind that someone would just leave with so much stuff still there. Even in the case of death, usually loved ones in the USA will clean out a property (Or the bank).

    Also do you collect any souvenirs of the haikyo you visit?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/20/2009 at 12:49 pm

      Not really Tyler. Obviously the company closed the mine/area down and the people that once lived there understandably had to leave their homes, but why they also had to leave their possessions is a total mystery. Admittedly it’s not an easy place to get to, but they managed to get all their stuff there in the first place, so…

      And no, I don’t take anything, except for the odd ‘before’ picture or document if it’d be a useful addition to the story. The Sports World water park is a good example. Otherwise I just leave things as they are for the next visitor.

      Reply
  4. Tornadoes28 says

    11/20/2009 at 12:05 pm

    I wonder why the people didn’t pack up their stuff and take it with them when they left.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/20/2009 at 12:53 pm

      As in the reply to Tyler above Tornadoes28, I have no idea. But what I do know is that I’m really glad they do, as they make for fascinating places to explore and photograph.

      Reply
    • The Envoy says

      11/21/2009 at 9:26 pm

      They probably didn’t regard pots and pans to be worth the trouble…

      Reply
  5. Christoph says

    11/20/2009 at 11:54 pm

    Do you have any tips on where to go for haikyo photo expeditions? I wonder where I could find such locations in Nagoya. Have you ever had any trouble with the police?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/21/2009 at 12:27 pm

      Not sure about Nagoya Christoph, but this book has information and maps.

      As for the police, thankfully I haven’t had any meetings with them at all. Did bump into some security of sorts once, but after I’d convinced them that I was only there to take pictures, they were happy to let me carry on.

      Reply
  6. Jay says

    11/21/2009 at 2:54 am

    Lee, your photos would make such a damn good picture book for my coffee table. Please, if you ever get the chance, make it so.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/21/2009 at 12:23 pm

      Thanks Jay! The chance to put them all in a book would be a fine thing indeed…

      Reply
  7. Leina says

    3/9/2016 at 2:22 am

    What, so the used paper wasn’t put in the toilet ?!

    Reply

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