When it comes to exploring abandoned buildings, long lost mountain villages are probably my favourite as they provide poignant hints about the people who used to live there and the lives they once led. Elements that to some degree are also present in the house below.
Abandoned in the summer of 1997, it has stood the test of time surprisingly well — even the floors felt relatively safe which is something of a rarity in old wooden structures left open to the elements.
The calendars, as ever, made the year its occupants disappeared easy to identify, and the photos left behind suggest the property housed several generations of the same family, although considering the obvious age gaps, it’s difficult to say how many of them actually lived there at the same time. What is certain, however, is that it was once very much a home, and then all of a sudden it simply wasn’t.
Günter says
Your recording of this is very sad and beautiful. I wonder what happened to the people who lived there? I wonder if they ever think about this house and their live there? Thank you for this story.
Lee says
You are welcome, and thank you. Those elements were definitely present.
Very good questions. We can only speculate on what happened to them, but I do like to imagine they think about this place now and again. I’m sure they would.
Celine says
Wow all those years that have past, but why would they leave such personal items behind…….?
Lee says
That’s something that always puzzles me. Leaving the big stuff makes sense as it would have been a real pain to remove it all, but the likes of photos and such is very different.
Richard says
How do people leave behind personal things like photos?!? What a mystery.
Lee says
It is. Very hard to understand. The only thing that makes sense is if the last resident died there, and they were also the last of their family. That said, other stuff had clearly been taken, so who knows?
Linda says
I used to also find it hard to understand the things people leave behind in your photos like this. Then I had to clean out my mother’s stuff after she died, and now I get it. Even the photos – if a photo is significant enough that’s it’s framed and displayed, it’s likely other members of the family have their own copies.
Lee says
I’m very sorry to hear you. about your mother. But yes, that sadly does make a lot of sense. Plus at the end of the day, they are ultimately only things I suppose. Memories and feelings are far more important.
Paul says
What a treasure.
Is this house very isolated ? Alone in the deep forest ? How are the surroundings ?
Concerning the good state of the building, maybe is it because the roof is still in good condition, without leak.
Thank you very much, as always.
Lee says
You are very welcome. Always nice to share finds like this.
Pretty isolated yeah, although higher up the mountain there are barriers to stop erosion, so that has at least protected the house from falling rubble and landslides. Not sure how it has avoided falling trees though, as there were quite a few down nearby.
cdilla says
It is amazing that this home has fared so well over 25 years when you see how badly affected similar houses in Namie have become after 10.
Seeing the four generations of a family all together makes me wonder where the younger ones are. Presumably someone still owns the property/land.
I enjoyed looking around the Tachikawa area looking for the house (dialcode on the kitchen board) but got sidetracked looking for the video shop again 🙂
Thank you again for sharing such wonderful finds.
Lee says
You are very welcome. It’s always a real treat to find and photograph such places. And yeah, it has managed to fare incredibly well despite all those rough winters and long, humid summers.
Seeing such photos really does you wonder, doesn’t it? All kinds of possibilities, and yet all we have is speculation.
Ah, the video shop. I do admire your persistence. Hopefully it’ll still be standing when you eventually find the location!