In a crumbling house that’s been abandoned for almost two decades, the silence of its unplayed piano was almost palpable.
Photographs from a small group of islands
In a crumbling house that’s been abandoned for almost two decades, the silence of its unplayed piano was almost palpable.
John says
I like the slippers but In the late 90s they were still using an old rotary phone?
Jonh Bouli says
I did in the late 90’s 😉
Lee says
@John Your guess is as good as mine on that one. It was there, but whether it was still used or not is impossible to say. That said, been in plenty of little bars that still use them, so it’s definitely a possibility.
@Jonh One bar I was in, the owner insisted on still using his ‘cos he said the sound was clearer than modern phones. True?
Tobias says
This is really beautiful, so many questions come to mind – why this pair of slippers, the shoes, why the telephone, all arranged like this?
I’ve been meaning to ask: Aren’t you scared to go into those old and abandoned houses?
Judging by your Haikyo collection (which is immensely entertaining by the way) you must have nerves of steel!
I think I would die of a heart attack if I would ever encounter, say, some homeless guy or a family of raccoons! 😀
Lee says
Thanks. Yes, definitely more questions than answers. The slippers make sense as the piano was near the entrance, but the dirty shoes on the carpet don’t. Very un-Japanese. Also, the phone was connected up to the wall there, although still unusual to have it on the floor. Perhaps there was a table there once?
But nah, no nerves of steel. Always a bit cautious when I first enter, but that’s about it. They are always quiet places, so fairly calming in an odd sort of way. Unexpected noises, however, like a passing car, or something moving ‘cos of the wind, can be a bit startling.
Matthias says
If only the piano could talk… how has it made its way from pre-WW II Schweidnitz (today Swidnica in Poland) to Japan?
Has it traveled with a German expat or bought by a Japanese family..? There is next to nothing to find online about
this piano manufacturer. Except that Swidnica used to be a hotspot in organ and piano making in the early 20th century…
Lee says
I know eh?
To be honest, I just presumed it was a well known piano maker and so never looked it up. That’s absolutely fascinating. Cheers for letting me know. Really does make you wonder quite how (and why) it ended up where it did in the forested area of western Tokyo. Presumably we’ll never know, although in some ways that’s not a bad thing as it conjures up all kinds of possibilities.
cdilla says
An amazing find, and such an atmospheric photograph. Mournful is the word that springs to mind.
Lee says
Thanks. A very welcome find.
To be honest, the house didn’t have much else that was photogenic, but this alone made it more than worthwhile. And yeah, mournful sums it up very well.
Agnieszka says
The world is small, really. I love Japan, I love photos you take – their realism makes me fall for Japan even more – and just now I saw the piano…Carl Neumann Schweidnitz.. I live in Poland, 60 km from Schweidnitz (?widnica). This is just amazing…
Lee says
Thank you. That’s really nice to hear.
And yes, small world indeed. That must have been a surprise to say the least. A little bit of Poland left in an empty little Japanese house…