Looking at my urban exploration log I realized that I had a pretty good run lately.
It all started when I met Michael of Gakuranman fame in late July – he was in Kansai and suggested to take on the famous Maya Hotel together. Since I already scouted the surrounding, but never went in, it was a fun exploration of an impressive location; followed by a revisit of the Takada Ranch Ruin. Two weeks later I started my summer vacation to Europe which included a side trip to the Zone of Alienation with its famous cities Chernobyl and Pripyat. Back to Germany I went to Luxembourg for two more explorations with a kindergarden friend of mine.
Soon after I got back to Japan I received an e-mail from Michael John Grist who planned to come to Kansai to tackle my haikyo nemesis, Nara Dreamland. I wanted to meet the guy more than I wanted to avoid the Dreamland, so we went there on a warm late summer night and for the first time I got in and out without spotting security… And finally I went on a little trip myself again to visit the Gakuranman in the Nagoya area to take pictures of the mysterious Doctor’s Shack, one of the few haikyo that are kept a real secret in Japan – even if it appears somewhere on the net or in a book there are barely any hints about its location and I’m really grateful Michael took me there; another awesome exploration, punished with about 30 mosquito bites!
Maya Hotel, Pripyat, Luxembourg, Nara Dreamland and the Doctor’s Shack in a row… it’s hard to do better than that! Now it’s time to write up the stories and show you some really, really interesting pictures!
(You can find all the articles related to Chernobyl and Pripyat by *clicking here* – the picture was taken *here*.)
Abandoned Kansai 
Looking forward to your reports 😀
There should be an update on the weekend, not sure though which location… they are all “work in progress” now.
Can’t wait ~
I’m psyched for Maya, it’s my favourite Haikyo site out there cause I’m an Art Deco lover.
And congrats on going to the Doctor’s Shack, I’ve heard tales of it involving late night research and riddles to find.
The Maya Hotel is an absolutely amazing location, sadly the progress of natural decay and vandalism makes it a shadow of what it must have been like 10 or 15 years ago. Nevertheless I hope I’ll be able to get back there in winter as I’m sure the atmosphere will be quite different then.
Going to the Doctor’s Shack I completely owe to Michael since he offered to take me there for his second visit – I probably would have never found it myself as it really is off the beaten track and kept a secret amongst experienced haikyoists.