At its peak in the 1960s, Nichitsu mining town was home to about 3,000 people, and boasted a school, supermarket, clinic etc. Basically everything the isolated mountain community needed to survive. But when the work disappeared, so did the inhabitants, leaving behind the buildings, along with glimpses of the lives once lived in them.
Time and the elements, however, have really taken their toll on what remains. As have countless visitors like myself. But on a hot summer day, it was a wonderfully peaceful place to be. There were deers foraging around the dilapidated structures, and not a single soul to be seen or heard. Just a rare, welcome silence, and now and again occasional moments of melancholy. Elements of which hopefully come through in the photos below.
Tom says
Very interesting. Big fan of the first shot. Really timeless.
Lee says
Thanks. That’s my favourite. It pretty much captures how the place felt to me that particular day.
Phil J says
Wow, surprisingly bare for a Japanese Haikyo. I think I like it a little better that way, not as picturesque but also not as depressing. The Haikyos where it looks like everyone just left everything and evacuated makes me a bit sad.
Lee says
There were rooms that were packed with stuff. But they were noticeably more recent than those pictured. A clean up crew perhaps, or something like that anyway. So while there was a lot of stuff, it didn’t make the places feel like proper homes. Plus the stuff was all over the place and not especially photogenic. A pity, but at the same time it was a challenge to photograph almost empty rooms.
Tyler says
I’m a bit surprised with the bear, one would think it wouldn’t still have a strong white color or there would be a heavy moss/mold colony on it.
The again, to think it used to be someone’s friend for those scary times. You almost have to wonder, do they still remember their teddy bear? Or more morbidly , are they still alive?
Lee says
That was outside an apartment with a load of stuffed toys inside. None of them were especially mouldy either if my memory serves me right. Both the front and back doors were open too. But could well have been opened up fairly recently. The village is a fairly well known place.
As for the one-time owner, those are very good questions. Personally I’d say they don’t remember, as presumably they can’t have cared that much to leave it in the first place. And as for their fate, that’s something I always ponder. Some of the calendars were as recent as 2000, so hopefully they are still going strong, but who knows…?
June says
Lee:
I assume the chest x-ray was in a clinic? I wonder if it’s indicating lung disease, common with miners.
Lee says
Yes, there’s a clinic with an operating room, doctor’s office and dentist. Sadly in very bad condition though. But yeah, that was my thought too. There were x-Rays scattered everywhere, and the vast majority where like the one in the photo. So must be.
Hans ter Horst says
I have seen photos of this town before by others, but what I really like in your approach is the use of empty space; where others get close, just photographing the TV in the 1st photo, for example, you include the room and the desolation. You do this consistently throughout the series and it works so well!
Lee says
Thanks a lot. That’s very good to hear.
I’ve done that myself plenty of times, but on this particular visit I was after something a bit different. I wanted the photos to represent more how I felt than what I saw. Which I managed to a certain extent. So really glad you get something out of the results too.
Jeff says
Where is Nichitsu located? (Interested)
Can’t locate it via Maps App, or Google Maps…
Lee says
I don’t have the map to hand at the moment, but if you send me a mail I can pass on the location.