The Sudden Stop Syndrome is a widespread phenomenon in Japan. When you least expect it, people just stop walking without any warning signs. Half a meter in front of an open train door (even after lining up for minutes!), 5 cm inside of a train (basically in the middle of the door), at the end of elevators, moving walkways and steps, or right in front of you just as you walk down a street. No slowing down, no looking over the shoulder – just a sudden stop as if they were the last person on the planet. So far no deadly incidents have occurred, but there is always the risk of bumping into somebody… The worst part about it: There is no treatment and it can happen to everybody at any time. I don’t know how widespread the Sudden Stop Syndrome is in your country, but in Japan you most likely will observe it at one point or the other. (And by that I mean “at least weekly”.)
I wonder if the Sudden Stop Syndrome was known to the doctor(s) running the Tokushima Countryside Clinic (TCC) from as early as the 1930s on. Probably not. I imagine back then the times were less rushed – and the slower you walk, the less sudden a stop is.
The Tokushima Countryside Clinic is without the shadow of a doubt one of the best abandoned hospitals in Japan, probably in the world – although “hospital” and “clinic” are words that are used rather loosely in Japan.
When I hear the terms in English (or my native tongue German) I imagine rather big health care facilities with several doctors and departments; buildings for dozens or even hundreds of patients and inpatients. In Japan basically every family practice is called a clinic – but even some hospitals can host only a handful of inpatients and close on the weekends. Clinics are usually named after the doctor who owns and runs it, or by the town they are in.
The spookiest hospital I’ve ever been to is the *Hospital #126 in Pripyat*, abandoned in the aftermath of the *Chernobyl Disaster* – a big hospital with several floors and never-ending hallways, with paint flaking off the walls and wind making scary noises; just right out of a horror movie, though reality probably was scarier.
The Tokushima Countryside Clinic on the other hand offered quite a different experience. Located in a small town in the countryside of Tokushima prefecture it once were the rather big premises of the local doctor; half private house, half clinic. Even without the medical equipment it would have been a gorgeous example of an early modern Japanese estate, built about 100 years ago – most likely earlier.
Hidden in the backstreet of a side street in a tiny town the Tokushima Countryside Clinic really is off the beaten tracks and for years it was one of the most secret abandoned places in Japan. Although deserted more than 30 years prior to both of my visits (November 2010 and April 2011) the clinic was in amazing condition – you can find out a little bit more about the clinic’s history *in the article about my first visit*.
Being at the TCC you actually breathe history. The amount of books, chemicals and equipment left behind is amazing!
On one photo you can see containers of Risoban plaster. “Medical use, “Ideal adhesive plaser”, “Trade mark” – probably high-end when bought, but completely unknown to the internet today.
Oude Meesters on the other hand is still in business. The South African company with the Dutch name is famous for its brandies and actually still uses the same logo you can find on a bottle of Villa Rosa in one uf the photos – putting it dangerously close to containers filled with chemicals probably wasn’t a good idea though.
A box of “Koyamas Safe Pessaries” has written Osaka Juzen Hospital on the side – don’t get your hopes up, that’s not the real name of the Tokushima Countryside Clinic, it’s the hospital Dr. Sakae Koyama was the president of when he developed his birth control method: Koyama designed the conical shaped soft rubber diaphragm, patented as “Koyama Suction Pessary”, first and foremost out of personal motivation as him and his wife were parents to 12 children. The doc made history when he tried to market his invention in the States and the pessaries were seized by the customs as birth control was illegal in the United States in the early 1930s – that lead to a couple of lawsuits legalizing the trade of contraceptives in December 1936.
And the list goes on… and on… and on. Somebody should actually get all the stuff inside of the Tokushima Countryside Clinic and rebuild it as a room in a museum. I think you could spend weeks or months researching all the items in this wonderful family practice, spanning about 50 years in six different decades, maybe seven.
During this two hour long second visit I didn’t even enter the living quarters of this stunningly beautiful mansion – so you have to *look at the previous article* for photos of that part. And like in the article about my original visit I will publish the photo set in monochrome as it adds so much to the atmosphere in this case. I didn’t think much about the TCC recently, but when I went back to the photo set and my notes to write this article I got all excited about it again – some of the pictures actually gave me goosebumps and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.
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Abandoned Kansai 
These are great!
Thanks a lot, much appreciated!
Wow … it WOULD be great to see this made into a museum somehow, before a “punk” ends up destroying things. There’s a lot to be learned here!
GREAT post. Thank you for sharing all this!
Thanks for reading, looking at the photos and commenting!
So far people seem to respect the beauty and potential significance of the TCC, but every visit there does harm to the place, not matter how cautious you are…
What a shame. 😦
Well, at least you’ve done your part in documenting everything. So much history there…
Absolutely incredible. Your intro to the hospital and your photos really set the scene impecably. And your photos are spectacular. So glad I stopped to read your post.
Thanks a lot – it’s incredibly motivating to receive positive feedback like yours!
I fitting analogy for how even our most lively and indelible memories do accumulate rust and dust over time. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment!
It is utterly incredible these facilities are relatively being left alone… Although you get the feeling this was from the war, you realize medical supplies were nearly nonexistent back then…
The clinic closed in the early 1980s as far as I know, so I assume most of the equipment is post-war – I wouldn’t be surprised though if the furniture is pre-war since the patients’ files I had a look at were from the early 1930s. (Some of the books and medical journals were from the 1950s.)
Hellooooooo SIlent Hill flashback.
I actually never played the game, at least not very far. But the atmosphere at the TCC was amazing!
The *Anti-Zombie Fortress* should be featured in a game, too – it would really deserve it!
So intriguing! Do you ever get nervous about being exposed to any toxic chemicals? Be careful!
The pharmacy indeed was smelling a bit funny, but well… I am not much of a risk taker in general and I went outside for fresh air once in a while, but of course there is always the chance that something could happen. So far I got away without suffering much harm. 🙂
I am always amazed at your posts. That this much real estate is abandoned. The monochrome is great.
Thanks a lot Cynthia! Sadly not all of the locations I visit are that spectacular, so I hope you and everybody else will stay with me when I will write about some rather dull places, but I’ll promise that I will try to make it entertaining nonetheless – and I will always have a mindblowing location or two up my sleeves to bounce back! 🙂
Sudden Stop Syndrome, I like that name.
It does not look abandoned, it looks like a museum. Great pictures as always.
Thanks a lot!
The Sudden Stop Syndrome was a running gag between a former colleague of mine and myself. Not sure who came up with the name… it probably developed over time.
I just cannot comprehend how all this stuff is abandonned, and also how it is not desicrated. What amazing photos you have taken. How do you discover these abandonned places?
Ich kann auch nichgs glaube WIE GUT Ihre Englisch ist wenn Ihre erste sprache Deutsch ist. 🙂 Ich spreche Deutsche wie eine Franzosisch kuh! lol
Discovering places like that takes a lot of internet research, sometimes luck (driving down a road and having a gut feeling that a building behind some trees actually is abandoned…), in some cases networking with other people – although so far I found all locations except for 2 or 3 myself.
Deutsch ist eine sehr schwierig zu erlernende Sprache und ich habe großen Respekt für jeden Nicht-Muttersprachler, der sich dieser Herausforderung stellt! Die Grammatik ist ein echter Albtraum… So gesehen ist Ihr Deutsch sehr gut, also nur keine falsche Bescheidenheit! 🙂
I think I should be more grateful to the inventors of the DVD and several American TV shows – my English improved a lot in the late 1990s and early 2000s thanks to me replacing German dubbing with original voices. (I never lived in an English speaking country and I never studied English at a language school or university…)
It sounds like a lot of work, but with great results, finding the abandonned sites.. I can’t believe you learned German just by watching telly etc. That’s awesome. 🙂
Yeah, urbex takes quite a bit of dedication when done properly, but it’s totally worth it. When I was younger I played quite a lot of video games – but this hobby is so much more rewarding, especially in combination with the blog.
Well, it wasn’t only watching TV / DVDs, but my big passive vocabulary improved massively that way. My active English improved a lot thanks to my previous boss Brandon, who was interested in a lot of topics and asked my about so many things I never talked about in English. And of course writing this blog helped, too – if you look at the first articles from 3 years ago… They are a lot shorter and simpler.
Awesome!!! Good u had so much practice. Here is an interesting blog link for you.. http://mommyhasapottymouth.com/incredible-abandoned-places-around-the-world-7751/
I think this is your best find yet!
So much still there, intact and relatively untouched.
Btw, I think your use of B/W in this series is perfect – transports me and refocuses my attention. Love it.
Thanks a lot Maria!
It’s boon and bane that the TCC is in the middle of nowhere – it takes me about 4 hours by car to get there (and I don’t have a car…), probably longer; access by public transportation is close to impossible. That’s why I haven’t been there in two years – but it’s also the reason why most urban explorers haven’t been there at all. It’s really off the beaten tracks and even if you think you know where it is: If you are off by 200 meters you won’t find it.
OMG that makes it even more impressive! The photos though, that’s all you and they’re wonderful!
Oh, urban exploration is a hobby that requires quite a bit of dedication, especially when not just following the beaten paths of other people – and I guess at least half of the places on Abandoned Kansai have never been published on other English language blogs; a couple of them are actually original finds I have never seen on the net before, not even on Japanese blogs.
Love the intro. Sudden Stop Syndrome is perfect name, and yeah it baffles me often too. Do people not realize others are behind them? Weird that is should be so pronounced in Japan, where people are usually so attuned to each other (wa and all that).
Hey Michael,
Long time no see!
The whole Sudden Stop Syndrome thing is bothering me for years and I am happy that I finally found an opportunity to write about it. Like most things in life it’s nothing that annoys me constantly, but it’s one of those strange little things about Japan you only realize when you life here longer.
In my experience Japanese people are very respectful with each other when being part of a group they know – if they are by themselves they are not much different from anybody else in the world and rather self-absorbed. The Sudden Stop Syndrome is one of those symptoms, but so is fighting over the last seat in a train (sometimes even pushing away elderly!) or writing messages on mobile phones while riding a bike without lights after dark…
Great shot, great location. B&W seems a good choice for these, too.
Thanks a lot! The photos of the previous visit I published both in monochrome and in color; maybe I’ll present the color versions one day, too.
I have nominated you for Best Moments Award. You can go to http://kanzensakura.com/2013/03/30/best-moment-award-for-me/ for more information. Thank you for living in the moment and sharing. Yay you! Toni
You have an incredibly informative blog and great photos. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a lot Paul! As much as I am fascinated by the aesthetics of abandoned places, I always want to know the history of a location – and the feedback I get proofs that I am not the only one… 🙂
The photos are beautiful – love the quality of the light. And your description of Sudden Stop Syndrome was fascinating.
Thanks a lot Roy!
The Tokushima Countryside Clinic was all about the little things – and the Sudden Stop Syndrome is one of those everyday little things, so I thought it was a good opportunity to combine them. 🙂
It’s amazing… like somebody walked out and forgot to come back….
That actually might have happened Nana… It’s rather likely that the doctor retired and moved away – or died. And nobody was interested in taking over. Or the doc had no children. Since the clinic closed about 30 years ago and my Japanese is rather limited I wasn’t about to find out much about the place’s history, but I think a lot of countryside locations in Japan face a similar destiny.
In my country it is more like the ‘grind to a halt’ syndrome. I’m sure it has been around for a long time but now it has been exacerbated by the ‘reading of cell phone messages while walking’ phenomenon. Despite what is said, people generally cannot do two things at once and the brain knows this so it decides that reading trumps walking and, so as not to frighten the person carrying the brain, it slowly shuts down the ability to walk. Rather an elegant solution, assuming you are not the person walking behind them at the time.
A recent variant is the ‘suddenly speed up again’ as you go to go around them effect. This is a tricky one which requires more study.
Ha, ha, the “reading while walking” phenomenon is quite common here in Japan, too! Not only on mobile phones, but in general. Books, magazines, newspapers. The worst are people who write cell phone messages while riding a bike without lights in complete darkness – when you think you’ve seen it all…
Very fascinating, but kind of spooky.
The atmosphere there was absolutely fantastic, on both visits. Too bad that the weather was rather bad on both visits – and the lack of sunshine made the video I took quite blurry. So bad that I didn’t publish it…
i love urbex. great photos! especially love the creep factor regarding those baby beds.
Thanks a lot, much appreciated – I guess you refer to the baby beds at the *Hospital #126 in Pripyat*? That was a creepy place, but so fascinating at the same time…
Sudden Stop Syndrome is prevalent in the US, although it seems more like “growing roots in the middle of the road/aisle/etc syndrome”. I really enjoy your writing and photography – I studied in Kyoto for a little while, but I’ve traveled vicariously all over Japan, thanks to you.
Thanks a lot, Claire! Maybe the Sudden Stop Syndrome is a worldwide trend of the past few years? I have to pay attention next time I’m back in Germany.