A small, but quintessential Japanese conference center in the Japanese countryside – but most of all: a deathtrap!
Yes, I admit it: I like abandoned places in good condition! And while I appreciate the artisan work of Japanese carpenters, I prefer the solid ground most concreters provide – especially when a house is built on a slope…
Quickly after I arrived at the Japanese Conference Center with my urbex buddy Rory and his friend Toby, it became apparent that getting into the building would be a lot easier than getting out. Located on the slope of a small hill, the cultural institute consisted of a three storey main building (guest rooms, kitchen, dining room, ofuro, meeting rooms) and several small single storey constructions featuring guest rooms. The additional buildings were of no interest (too rundown, too locked-up, too generic), but the main building was actually quite intriguing due to its typical Japanese design. The main entrance featured a slab of concrete as well as a concrete wall on the slope side and a concrete staircase leading up one floor to the once with the back entrance. Pretty much the rest of the building, including some overhanging parts, was made from wood and other traditional material – and as a result the abandoned building was not only not structurally sound anymore, it had turned into a deathtrap since the last time somebody took care of it. There were collapsed walls, collapsed floors, collapsed ceilings… and the roof was partly collapsed, too. Most of the floor was so brittle that you could hear cracking noises with every step – I am admittedly a big guy, but the problem went literally and figuratively deeper as indicated by several folding tables scattered across the worst not yet collapsed parts of the floor, a way to distribute weight of previous, presumedly much lighter explorers. Unfortunately it was often unpredictable whether one would crash down two millimeters or two meters, which is why I had to refrain from seeing the whole building (I saw most of it though…), because what’s the point of equal weight distribution when you crash through the floor while standing on a folding table?
Thanks to the almost constant danger of crashing through a floor or having a ceiling falling down on me, exploring the Japanese Conference Center was quite a nerve-wrecking experience – on the other hand it had been a while since I explored a building in that bad condition, so it was nice to see one again… I just could have done without actually going through in person, so this is one of the explorations where I enjoy the photos taken quite a bit more than actually taking them. 🙂
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Abandoned Kansai 
nice, i was thinking it doesnt look that terrible as it sounds…till few last pictures haha…the cat pic is great too 😀
Yeah, the photos are not in shooting order this time… 🙂
A dangerous place certainly makes for the best photos!!
Japanese construction with wood and bamboo certainly looks lovely, even in decay, but I appreciate the solid foundation concrete gives you during abandonment. At least it was worth the risk… 🙂
Good!
I have to say that I have been reading your blog since about 2012,and I really enjoy it! You put a lot of work into this blog and I have never taken the time to compliment your work or tell you thank you.
So, thank you! I really enjoyed the feel of this site especially. I am from America and enjoy the sites that are particularly decayed like this one.
The decay in Japan is much different than the decay in the American West. The West is very dry and arid and things tend to rot VERY slowly. We have whole mining towns that are now preserved in “arrested decay” here. (Arrested decay, if you’re not familiar, is the process of minor preventions made to halt further collapse of the site, but never actually making repairs or fixes.) One state park I enjoy is Bannack. A whole town built in the late 1800s, and it still stands today! Anyway, state parks are hardly as cool and interesting as urban exploration, but I digress.
I enjoy abandoned anything, and I like this building you found.
I can’t put my finger on why this building makes me think of some of the classic abandoned sites here, but it just does.(Weird considering the building has so many classic Japanese aesthetics to it!) Maybe this one had less jungle looking plants, and less mold and moisture looking damage to it?
I really enjoyed it! I have to say I enjoy all your posts, I’ve never thought “meh, I dislike this post.” Rather, I have liked all the posts I’ve read and am always pretty impressed.
Thanks for putting so much work into your blog, keep up the work, it’s so enjoyable!
Thank you very much, Quaily Quail! I really appreciate your kind words, especially towards the end of a year full of highs and lows. I was able to explore more places than ever before with more different people than ever before, at the same time the demolition of Nara Dreamland was not only painful to witness, it also hurt the constantly rising number of blog visitors – and since this blog is ad free, a growing audience was part of what makes writing this blog rewarding. So thank you very much for your comment, it’s always good to see that visitors are not just numbers, but people who enjoy these articles… 🙂