Abandoned Japan

December 7th, 2010By Category: Culture

Japan is going to face all sorts of changes as it gets to grips with a declining population. If you have a sharp eye and are open to traveling around the less touristy parts of the country, then there are already a few signs of how this might play out.

The images here come from a blog kept by one intrepid foreign resident of Japan, Michael John Grist. His site is titled ‘The Haikyo Gallery’ and features numerous images of abandoned and declining haikyo (ruins).

As Michael explains:

“‘Haikyo’ is a Japanese word that simply means ruin, or abandonment. They’re the places that fell between the cracks; the old mining town in the mountains that died when the copper seams ran dry, the outlandish theme park that failed when the bubble burst, the US Air Force Base abandoned to nature’s brambles.”

The front of an old Toyo Bowl.

Up close and personal.

A dining hall in Izu.

The remnants of a Victorian England-inspired prison down in Kyushu.

Get the full experience over at http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/ruins-gallery/

Check one one of our earlier articles for a look at Tokyo after the apocalypse.

Author of this article

GaijinPot

GaijinPot is an online community for foreigners living in Japan, providing information on everything you need to know about enjoying life here, from finding a job and accommodation to having fun.

Related articles that may interest you

Comments

  • Moobs says:

    Great pics! There is a counterculture in Japan that’s been documenting “haikyo” for decades. One of the coolest places I’ve ever seen in pics is Gunkan-jima (軍艦島) in Nagasaki. Another interesting place is an old silver mining town in Ehime called Besshi (別子銅山).

    An if you can read Japanese, here’s a site for finding ruins. http://ruins.rati.info/

  • Camrober says:

    There are 4 million empty residences in Japan mainly in the country, abandoned due to ageing populations in towns and villages and young people moving to the cities.

  • Seo says:

    Just..the pictures are incredible. I did’t even know these Haikyo building exists in Japan a lot.

  • Mattor says:

    This kind of stuff is so cool. It gives you a complete out-of-this-world feeling to see it.

Top