Whenever I head out to Tokyo’s westernmost environs, it never fails to amaze me that the completely different surroundings are still part of the capital. The scenery there is worlds away from what most people think of the city, and indeed what the vast majority of it looks like. A feeling that was increased even further last week with the mist that greeted us as we moved towards the area’s mountains.
The idea was to try and find some old houses that we suspected were long-abandoned. A plan that worked out perfectly, although not all the former homes had been unoccupied for as long as we expected. Most had unsurprisingly been left unused for a couple of decades, but one had quite shockingly been lived in until 2016. Accommodation that would have been uncomfortable in the city’s more urban areas, but out there in the mountains it must have made for an incredibly tough life to say the least.
However, a few dates and the locations aside, there’s next to nothing we know about the people who once resided there, such as how they lived and why their homes ended left the way they were. The photographs taken on the day are really all I have, so here they are, along with shots of the journey up to and between the houses. Scenes that prompt a whole host of questions, but at the same time provide little in the way of answers.
Richard says
The area looks beautiful. Was it too remote from Tokyo for people to continue living there?
Lee says
It is. Always really nice to get out there into the mountains and forests.
The area itself is quite a way from more built up parts, and then these houses are a further walk from even small settlements. So yeah, very remote, even though they do still have a Tokyo address.
Sean says
These are awesome. I’d love to experience this, there’s so much atmosphere.
Lee says
Thanks a lot. The early morning rain definitely played its part with the mist, but definitely an interesting experience whatever the weather.
Denise says
I have conflicting feelings about this. Your photos are beautiful but they are also very sad. The personal photographs? I don’t understand why people would leave them……… 🙁
Lee says
Thanks. I totally understand. Interesting for sure, but abandoned houses in particular are almost always tinged with sadness. All the life that was once there now gone…
And yes, always a strange feeling to find such personal photos. They create way more questions than answers.
HeySpacer says
I am a certified alien space explorer, living in Andromeda Galaxy. I remember this place; the year 18436, I discovered it when I was a rookie. This long gone civilization ruin still amazes me. Looks like, someone else has found this place. How was the weather?
Lee says
I dare say it looked different in 18436. The weather was perfect for what we wanted, but presumably a lot hotter when you visited.