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Nov 05 2009 11 Comments

Abandoned mining houses #1: Personal possessions

Abandoned houses/buildings come in all shapes and sizes, but personally speaking, the most interesting to explore are those with a plethora of possessions inexplicably left behind by the people who once lived or worked there. And in this respect, despite their lack of size or architectural significance, a small cluster of cottages once connected to a mining company in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, was a fascinating find.

A couple of the places in particular appearing as though their dwellers had simply disappeared.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

Leaving behind a fascinating array of personal effects, from what was visible as soon as one walked in,

Japanese haikyo/urban exploration

to surprisingly well stocked wardrobes.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

Along with lots of random stuff liberally dotted around the lodgings.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

All of them offering hints about the workers who once lived there, but nothing really concrete, apart from perhaps their sex,

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

and maybe fashion sense.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

However, as the departure from one building dated back to 1988,

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

even that was difficult to decipher.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

But that said, they did like tea. Or there again, perhaps they didn’t, as this apparent present hadn’t even been unpacked.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

Although possibly they just didn’t have any place left to put them.

Tokyo haikyo/urban exploration

In part two, which can be viewed here, I take a look at the buildings and rooms, which, after being left untouched for 20 years or so, are a bit worse for wear to say the least.

Categorized: Haikyo

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike says

    11/5/2009 at 5:55 pm

    Great post as usual Lee ^^ You use a Nikon and 1.8 lens, am I right? Are most of your shots handheld?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/5/2009 at 7:25 pm

      Thanks Mike.

      For most haikyo (and especially this one) I use the Nikon 35mm f/2, although to be honest I could have done with something wider. And yeah, all handheld, but it wasn’t easy as it was really quite dark in a few of the rooms. Hence the noise.

      Reply
  2. dans says

    11/5/2009 at 7:57 pm

    lovely shots ! I could see you on the mirror ^^

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/5/2009 at 11:19 pm

      Thanks! Yeah, unfortunately the only way I could get the shot included me in the mirror…

      Reply
  3. Rob says

    11/5/2009 at 9:59 pm

    Every time you show these type of shots I just can’t get over the fact that these people just left and did not take any of their stuff… crazy, but it makes for GREAT pirctures!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/5/2009 at 11:28 pm

      I know what you mean Rob. For really quite small houses, these probably had the largest concentration of possessions I’ve yet come across. And, like you say, it seems as though whoever lived there didn’t take anything at all with them.

      Why is anybodies guess, but it certainly adds to the mystery, as well as giving the places a real sense of sadness.

      Reply
  4. ait_meijin says

    11/6/2009 at 4:33 am

    I was really stunned by the calendar design. It’s quite remarkable in spite of being printed in 1988! I can’t even imagine something of similar quality in my neck of the woods back in 1988. It seems the art of design in Japan is always developing in it’s own special and innovative way.
    As well as the art of abandoning places. Very special indeed. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Tornadoes28 says

    11/6/2009 at 12:35 pm

    That is so bizarre. It’s like some science fiction horror flick where everybody mysteriously just disappears.

    Reply
  6. auberginefleur says

    11/9/2009 at 12:52 pm

    Love the black geta with the purple hanao. I din’t suppose you rescued them for me?

    -AF

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/9/2009 at 2:33 pm

      Afraid not. I only saw one though. No idea what happened to the other…

      Reply

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