It’s been almost two months since the last article, the longest time ever in AK history. Heck, even when I traveled to *North Korea* I kept the weekly publishing rhythm by scheduling prewritten stuff. But that was back in 2013 – and a lot has changed since then…
I actually don’t really know where to start or end, but I wanted to write a sneak peek article for quite a while now, so maybe the good news first – at the end of this… rant?… you’ll find a gallery with photos of 30 of my favorite yet unpublished locations. Could have stopped at 20, could have easily gone to 40 or 50, but I thought 30 would be a good number as it is about the average number of photos per article. The photos are between a few days and more than 10 years old. Some I held back on purpose, others I’ve just overlooked and always chose different places to write about for various reasons. Some have become super popular amongst explorers in Japan, others are original finds. Some haven’t changed a bit since I’ve documented them, quite a few have been vandalized, one or two even have been demolished – most of them have been featured on *Facebook* and *Twitter*, but I don’t think any of them made it here, to the blog. So here is a small selection of my favorite unpublished places as a sneak peek, because… well… you never know what’s going to happen to me or Abandoned Kansai. At least this way you get a taste of some of the locations that are close to my heart.
That’s 30 of maybe 200 already documented unpublished abandoned places – if I would stop exploring today I could run Abandoned Kansai for about 4 more years with weekly articles; which is not going to happen for sure. First of all I won’t give up exploring any time soon, as long as I can walk I will go out there, even though 2021 was a mixed bag – some amazing, borderline mind-blowing explorations in all nine regions of Japan, resulting in a surplus since I “only” published 28 articles in 2021; though 2.3 articles per month isn’t a bad average, considering that this is a non-profit one man hobby project. Well, the blog is, the explorations aren’t, which is one of the reasons why the monthly average went down. Due to Covid and (fur) babies, 2021 was the first year in a decade or so that I did more explorations solo than with co-explorers – which is a huge difference in how I experience locations and the hobby in general. Solo explorations are always more nerve-racking, more costly, more exhausting, more secretive. Whenever I explored solo I am much less inclined to talk about the experience – it’s so much more personal, especially when the location/s was / were original finds. In 2021 I explored on maybe a handful of days with friends and those explorations were amazing, especially since they usually included the better lunch breaks! But it also meant that 2021 was a much less social exploration year, which definitely affected my urge to write articles for the blog. The blog… I know the format is outdated now and the chosen layout probably has been from day 1, but I guess that is what happens when somebody who never read blogs starts his own one, even at the heyday of blogging. Nowadays it seems like the attention span has become so short that people are not just overwhelmed by blogs, but if you attach more than two photos on social media. It’s all about bite sized portions – but many of them! Which is kind of frustrating, too. The Abandoned Kansai pages on *Facebook* and *Twitter* are still growing and are much easier to feed as they only require a photo and a sentence per shot – but I’m just irritated by the lack of appreciation that is shown there. I ride four rush hour trains per work day, and the amount of posts people consume on their way to / from work is locust like; they go through dozens of entries on their feeds, barely ever leaving a reaction or even comment, showing hardly any respect for the content creators; especially the small ones. At the same time pretty much all the blogs I started to read after I initiated mine have faltered in the last 4 or 5 years; most of them I removed from my Blogroll already, but even the remaining ones are basically dead. Back in 2013/14/15 some of my articles received up to three digits in WordPress internal Likes and dozens of comments – nowadays the WordPress Like system is almost not existent anymore and articles hardly ever have more than five or six comments (shoutout to long-term readers like beth, Brandon, maclifer, Benjamin, Elias, and especially Gred Cz, who accounts for about 50% of the comments these days :)…). Those comments were a huge motivation, not just because most of them were positive (and I’m not exempt from enjoying reading nice things about what I created!), but because I enjoyed the communication with all kinds of people in general, especially those who actually knew the abandoned place I’ve written about when they were still in use. 90% of that communication has been replaced with silence at best… and unpleasant exchanges at worst, from multi-million USD companies trying to get free photos over rude messages like “Yo dawg, coordinates?” to flat-out insults. Thanks to Amazon, Tripadvisor, Yelp and such EVERYBODY has become a critic – and anonymity turned a surprisingly large number of people into characters I’d rather stay away from… Which isn’t exactly motivating me to publish things on any internet platform.
Add a couple of health scares (no Covid, I’m just getting old…), blog / explorations related personal disappointments (that alone could fill an article…), general Covid restrictions as well as some grown-up responsibilities to the mix and I guess you’ll understand why the time between articles has become longer and longer over the last two or three years…
To wrap this up: What is going to happen to Abandoned Kansai? Your guess is as good as mine! No articles at all is as unlikely as going back to a weekly pace. I’ll probably continue to write articles and publish them when they are done – aiming for at least one per month, but more likely two (or three, if a month has five Tuesdays). And if you see something by Abandoned Kansai on social media, please feel free to show a reaction so I know that I actually reach an audience. Comments are always welcome, especially if you have a “always be kind” policy when commenting; not just at AK, but in general. Abandoned Kansai has been running for more than twelve years now – and if a few dozen of you stay with me, I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t reach 20 or 25 years! Thank you for reading (till) the end – and please enjoy the gallery!
(*Like Abandoned Kansai on Facebook* or *follow us on Twitter* if you don’t want to miss the latest articles and exclusive content – and subscribe to the *video channel on Youtube* to receive a message right after a new video is online…)
Abandoned Kansai 
Dear Florian, Thanks for the long and honest post. — What kills every hobby is the feeling that one MUST do something, to please other people. This alone can remove any joy and happiness of the thing you’re doing. — For this reason, please take care of yourself. Only write a blog-post if you feel like it, but please don’t feel obligated to do this. — Take care of yourself and I will be continued reading your excellent post and enjoy your pictures. I trust you have many faithful readers, even though they perhaps isn’t commenting. I am mostly like this, but enjoy your blog a lot!
Take care!
/Benjamin
Hey Benjamin,
Thanks a lot for your kind and understanding words!
In many cases I think could give more positive feedback myself, instead of just consuming – I’m quite a big fan of Steve Hofstetter, saw him live in Osaka and watch basically all his Youtube videos, but I barely ever leave a comment. One of my personal highlights was when the writer of Galaxy Quest followed me on Twitter something like 10 years ago. It’s one of my favorite movies, so I followed back, and we exchanged a handful of nice PMs. Super nice guy, I hope he’s doing well…
There are some interesting locations here, I was struck by images 2 and 13 especially, a couple of stories waiting to be told. I have always enjoyed reading your blog I really hope you don’t give up any time soon!
Hey Sue,
#2 is an abandoned school gymnasium that collapsed under the weight of snow about a year ago. #13 was taken at an abandoned hospital. I assume those 1960s SciFi movie robots were used to sterilize surgical equipment. Two really fascinating locations I really look forward to write about!
And I shall look forward to reading!
We are on the same page regarding the WordPress “Like” button system. BTW: excellent photos today as always.
Hey swabby429,
I’m happy to hear that you like the photos! Usually they were my second most favorite shot of each set, so I can outdo them with the full article… 🙂
I wonder how well WordPress is doing in general. I’m sure their number of users has gone down significantly, too.
I still read you on here every time you post, and I also like a lot the “outdated” layout 🙂 I started following you just for that! Thanks for all your articles and pictures
A top modern layout also would sort of defeat the purpose of this site. :o)
I totally agree – and I’d really hate to abandon a blog about abandoned places. That would be really sad!
Hey Soda,
Back then I just needed an easy to use publishing tool, since I have not much interest in (web) design – at least not when it involves me putting work into it. And I’ve updated the Theme once, after like two years or so… 🙂
I’m a simple guy overall – that’s why I still don’t edit my photo, at least no enhancing editing. Just making them smaller for fast loading and less server space.
fascinating places and pics, I always enjoy your posts. only post when you feel like it and don’t worry about a regular schedule, let life determine your frequency
Hey beth,
Thanks a lot! Right now it’s rather work specifically that keeps me from posting than life in general – fortunately every project ends at one point, and I’m quite positive that I will have more free resources again then…
As a fellow blogger who also started during the WordPress heyday 12 years ago, I can really relate to your frustration. I also often wonder how long I can keep it up (I used to blog multiple times a week — 100 posts a year on average — but now I can barely manage once a week), and yet I also have a hard time imagining my life without blogging. And it’s hard to keep on knowing that I’ll probably never have the same level of traffic/engagement that I had a few years ago.
Anyway, I don’t comment on your blog very often but I’ve been reading regularly for years, even though I’ve never been to Japan and know very little about urban exploration. Your photos are fantastic, particularly the set in this post! Those stained glass shots took my breath away. Anyway, all the best.
Hey 2summers,
I think my visitor numbers were “artificially” inflated a bit anyway thanks to Nara Dreamland. At one point it created something like half of my traffic as it was hyped as the best abandoned theme park in the world and I was one of the first to go there, four or five years before it became extremely popular and even regular tourists to Nara had a look. When word spread that it got demolished interest in Nara Dreamland and therefore traffic to my blog dropped significantly – soon later the blog mass extinction started and I no chance to recover.
But to be honest: I appreciate loyal readers like you and pretty much everyone who commented here much, much more than one-off visitors anyway. During the Detroit craze urbex became something of a hype hobby that died down a little, but I it’s much nicer to talk to people with a long term passion – in general.
So… thanks for your kind words and all the best for your blog!
Thanks, you too!
I love your work!
You have to do what’s right and fits for you!
Enjoy the use of the delete/block buttons for all those unwanted comments and solicitations!
Thank you!
Hey Dan,
Fortunately the spam folder catches most of the bad messages anyway. Not just real spam and fishing messages, but by now also those with trigger words like “coordinates”… 🙂
Florian, bless you. The work and care you put into your photos and the lovely, funny and honest prose you create should never be rushed to please anyone besides yourself… okay, and maybe the small cadre of diehards out here can tag along for the fun…?
I noticed you mentioned fur babies – do tell! My family recently expanded with the addition of Lilibet-Rose, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pup. Despite advancing age, and missing out on a lot of sleep, she’s bringing so much joy into our lives. I changed my Gravatar to her most recent pic. Lily and her 8-year old sister, Mugzee (a “pork-a-poo” haha as I refer to her) finally started to play together on Day 19 and haven’t looked back. It’s become a very lively household once again.
Your blog has brought me so much information over the years – it’s a feast of sight and words written by a passionate author. Take your time and don’t worry about a schedule; I will always have my notifications turned on for your work to enlighten my life. Learning about a beautiful place like Japan, through the eyes of a person who came all the way from Germany and began life anew, is so refreshing. I kind of get to ‘travel’ far away because of your generosity.
The blog style – sure, it’s old school, but that’s GREAT! People need to read and hear your heart and soul as you show us new places, new ideas, etc. No matter the style of the site, you are the fellow human being that makes it what it is.
Many blessings and wishing you good health!
Hey maclifer,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Unfortunately I got the dirty end of the stick when it comes to fur babies – I don’t have any, but some of my co-explorers do now, using them as… explanations… for… scheduling conflicts… And if I learned one thing 20 years ago or so, it’s that one must be exceptionally special when trying to compete with a puppy or a rescue for the attention or even love of another person. And that I’m not nearly special enough. I’m happy for every pet owner and the relationships they create with their animals, but much like every new relationship there’s a danger that old ones might suffer. And humans can be pretty cool, too! 🙂
(I have to admit though that Lily is absolutely adorable!)
I’m really happy to hear that you enjoy my articles, too, not just the photos! You might be happy to hear that I already made notes for sequels to my rants about Japanese doctors and Japanese trains, with an additional one about Japanese buses. Abandoned Kansai should be all about abandoned places, but sometimes I just can’t help myself to write 2000 words about daily life here in Zipangu, especially when it relates to the current article. 🙂
Keep up the good work!!
I can’t wait to return to Japan and re-visit some places I’ve visited and some that I explored before anyone else it seems..
Unfortunately, I am a very busy person and so I didn’t share many pictures yet…
Hey isunamitch,
Thanks, will do!
Finding abandoned places in Japan is easy – finding good ones… that’s tricky. 🙂
I applaud you for keeping up with the blog. I switched to instagram, but people rarely comment there. At least they left likes, but now only 10% of my followers even see my posts. So it does feel kinda pointless. On the other hand if the pictures stay on my harddrive, no one will enjoy them.
One think I noticed is that it’s so much easier to send people a link to a blog post when you talk to them about something. It’s a diary with pictures and why not. Writing for others is always difficult, at least for me, and it feels easier to write it down for myself.
So maybe that’s how you could treat this? As a diary of your exploits. Memory keeps getting fuzzier with age and it’s always nice to look back and read how one felt at a certain point in life. I look back at my blog and there’s stuff I wouldn’t remember, but that I can recall once I read about it again.
I enjoy reading your posts, but write them at your pace for you. I don’t think you’ll regret that.
Hey Silvia,
I never used Instagram – never had a smartphone and I think for the first few years there was no desktop version. You don’t sound very happy with the results… Are you still posting there?
For the first couple of years I even barely used Facebook and Twitter, let alone any other platforms. Like with the photos and the blog design I prefer to keep things simple… and (anti)social media always looked like work to me.
I wish I’d have the time / motivation to write everything down like a diary, unfortunately I don’t for various reasons – I’m very glad though that I did it for my trips to Chernobyl and North Korea, because I’m sure I would have forgotten so many details by now!
And there are still so many urbex stories to tell, from regular explorations to run-ins with the police (yes, plural!) to triggered alarms (yes, plural, too!) to a somewhat serious injury. And of course the general rants about life in Japan… 🙂
I’ve been following you for years, but also the silent type. Thank you so much for continuing to post, when you can, what you’ve explored and not just pictures, but a history if you can find it. I’m always impressed by what you find, but more importantly how you leave it; exactly how you found it. I hope you continue to do the things you love even if it isn’t always posting what you’ve found here. As other commenters have said, continue to do what you love because you love it, not to make us silent types happy. I am content to know you enjoy doing this and enjoy sharing it. I’ll continue to “like” everything even if I don’t always comment. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Hey Emily,
I really appreciate it when previous visitors of an abandoned place didn’t vandalize or clear out a location, so I’m careful to leave it behind the way I found it – though sometimes there are really cool / interesting items. The two pods on photo 28 for example retail for 50k USD combined! But they are also 103 kg each, so not exactly something you would take home, even if you wanted to… 🙂
Thank you very much for being a long-term reader, too! Knowing that there are quite a few out there actually makes it easier to write articles as I can throw in certain terms without having to worry if they are understood.
Yours is the only blog I follow.
You have done sterling content over the years. As i discover Japan, your posts fit in perfectly.
Cheers and keep up the good work.
Hey Ian,
Thank you very much for your kind words! The experience of living in Japan differs vastly from person to person and I hope I can contribute to your overall picture of the country with my perspective, which can be perceived as slightly negative at times, but really isn’t. A lot of English teaching Youtubers and bloggers living in Japan leave after three to five years, I’ve been here for more than 15 years now – like with my explorations, I prefer to let actions speak louder than words. 🙂
I always enjoy your posts, and I don’t want you to get burned out by trying to keep to a schedule, so just post whenever works for you. I’ll be here to read it 🙂
For me your posts here are golden. I have opted out from Facebook and Twitter so i cant follow your Facebook or Twitter feeds. I hope you continue to post here
im abit late, but i guess better late than never, haha.
as someone who also runs a blog long term (since 2008 in my case), i totally get what youre saying. the heyday of blogs is long gone, i have a blogroll on mine too and i allways get abit sad when i see blogs there, once full of activity, that had its last post years and years ago…i actually announced i quit and move fully to instagram, several times actually, but i allways ended up coming back, because it just didnt felt right to not post it there too, haha. i have a feeling that even if you would announce you quit the blog, you would also come back sooner or later, haha.
while in the eyes of some ppls your blog layout may be outdated, i actually like this simple style, infact its pretty similar to my layout, but i went with dark colors instead haha.
tho i would have one idea about the blog layout. you may try to make this white column with…well everything in the middle abit wider, so there is less of this empty beige space on the sides on the 16:9 monitors. i had this exactly the same and done this aswell, as i created mine on a 4:3 (crt!) monitor yet, i would guess it was the same with AK? haha. even tho i done this it still kept the simple style i was aiming for :D.
i think its ok to just post whenever you feel like instead of keeping an shedule. i tryed that before too and got burnt up pretty soon, lol.
anyway, keep up the good work and all the best ;).