Abandoned buildings in Japan come in all shapes and sizes, with each one boasting its own, unique atmosphere. And particularly in regards the latter, the rotting, filthy clinic below, is a world away from the wonderfully welcoming and serene house I’d visited only hours earlier — photos of which can be seen here.
But that’s not to say the clinic doesn’t have character, because it does. Lots of it too. Something its wooden structure really adds to.
But condition-wise it leaves a lot to be desired, with remnants of the building’s former calling scattered everywhere.
Instruments.
Potions.
Archaic-looking glass containers.
And syringes.
Pretty much everything really. Even jars containing things that the imagination can probably make too much of.
Yet quite why it has been abandoned like this is hard to say. Obviously the elements have taken their toll, but as the owner’s house is on the same plot of land — a factor that makes exploration a little tricky — it seems odd to leave the clinic in such a sorry state.
But whatever the reasons, time has certainly stood still since the last patients left in 1970.
Meaning no more calls.
And no conversations with the receptionist.
Which, considering the truly horrific nature of the operating room, is perhaps as well.
Jon says
Yuck I don’t want to know what’s in some of those glass jars.
Lee says
No, same here. Some things are best left unknown…
Martin says
That’s pretty creepy!
Lee says
Strangely it didn’t feel creepy, just very very grim. Especially the operating room. The stuff of nightmares.
Florian / Abandoned Kansai says
Beautiful location – sometimes I really envy all you explorers based in Kanto!
Lee says
It is an interesting spot. No doubt about it. But from photos I’ve seen, you don’t seem to do too bad in Kansai!
Florian / Abandoned Kansai says
Well, you know how it is – the grass is always greener on the other side…
winnie says
The clinic looked eerie and disturbing. I was so scared but want to see the pictures.
They had successfully sent shivers down my spine.
But I still love the pictures!
The operating room and the telephone let my imagination went wild. I cannot imagine if the phone rings.
Lee says
Yeah, the operating room is something else. Never seen anything quite like that before. A real shocker…
Martin B says
A beautifully creepy set, the first photo sets the tone perfectly.
Lee says
Cheers. Yeah, that corridor is very photogenic.
Hans ter Horst says
Great series again, it gives me the cold shivers. So weird that nobody pulls down these buildings, the ground must be worth quite a bit, I would assume….
Lee says
Thanks. It was a fascinating — and at the same time horrible — little place. Such a contrast to that lovely old house. It was out in the sticks, so while obviously worth something, the land mustn’t have anywhere near the same value as that in the cities. The owner’s house is on the same plot as well which perhaps complicates things.
Hans ter Horst says
True, in the country side, old houses are cheap. My wife started looking around a little to get an impression of what it would be to retire to the Japanese countryside and found plenty of bargains with plenty of land around it for some vegetables. Probably all half-eaten by termites, but still….
Lee says
That doesn’t surprise me, especially with the continued exodus to the city. The disappointing thing I’ve always found though is that an awful lot of the Japanese countryside is far from beautiful. In fact a fair bit of it is really quite bleak — particularly so many of the houses. Obviously there are nice areas, but you really have to seek them out. Presumably the land will be a lot more expensive in those places too.
Willy says
Well, having had my go at it.. I have to add my 2 yen worth here… we searched for a country house for three and a half years.. looked at many places.. got into negotiations with people that went on for months before they decided that they didn’t want us in there old ruins… then found a dump that we fixed up and lived in for about 5 years.. before getting so sick of shoveling snow and fixing landslides and leaks in the roof… and all that goddamn wood chopping and weeding the veggie patch!
But it was certainly an adventure.. and had its moments of the sublime too… especially since the back yard was… a mountain.
Lee says
As Japan experiences go, that’s quite a unique one. I dread to think how cold the house must have been in winter though…
Willy says
Actually I saw some doco somewhere on the internet a while back claiming that Japanese are not really interested in living like that, but foreigners living in Japan are… but having done it, I can see clearly why the Japanese generally are not really interested. It can be tough. Life in modern housing is much easier. And yes.. the cold was another one on the long list of things we had to deal with. But it was ‘fun’ and cheap!
Lee says
I’d be very happy to live like that during the summer, but that’d be it. Having got used to the benefits of modern housing, it’d be very hard to deal with.
I remember reading a while ago that there’s a trend for giving up the stresses of life in the city and settling down in the countryside to a slower, more natural way of life. Seemed to be people of all ages as well. But like many such ‘trends’, the numbers involved are probably quite small. No doubt absolutely minuscule compared to those moving the other way too.
Lizzy says
Oh my! I could spend all day there!! Truly some fascinating items left around. Shame it has been left in such a state, though I suppose that does lend quite a bit to the ambience. Would be nice to see it restored and put to use either as a clinic once again or, perhaps, a medical museum.
Lee says
Yeah, it would have been nicer if everything had been in its proper place, but then like you say, it might not have had the same vibe.
The structure was very worse for wear, so demolition would be the only option I think. Simply too far gone unfortunately. But for now at least, it’s still a museum of sorts I guess.
wah says
Great photos!
But… hate to be a nitpicker but that desk is not the receptionist’s desk, it’s the window for the pharmacy.
Lee says
Cheers!
Yeah, good call. I took the liberty — hopefully correctly — of assuming that the pharmacy and receptionist would have been an all-in-one affair, as it was by the entrance, and there didn’t seem to be any other place for it to have been.
Steve says
How did you determine when the clinic was abandoned? The date on the newspaper is a little hard to make out, but it looks like October 7, Showa 35, which would be 1960.
Lee says
Newspapers can be a bit deceiving, as they could be from anytime during the period it was operational. Calendars, on the other hand, are much more accurate. Especially if there are more than one. And the ones here stopped in 1970.
Steve says
Totally cool. You’ve captured a side of Japan that has always fascinated me but which I seldom see represented pictorially. There are so many stories in each of these photos. Ghosts abound.
Lee says
Thanks. Glad you got something out of them. It’s the stories these places contain that interest me the most. All the memories caught up in the little details. Memories we can never know, but at the same time are fascinating to speculate upon.