Hello and welcome to Abandoned Kansai!
My name is Florian and in late 2009 I began with urban exploration in the Kansai area and since there was no English speaking homepage about the topic (most foreign urban explorers are located in Kanto, the area around Tokyo) I started this blog in January of 2010 to fill the gap. I’m a strict follower of the unwritten rule “take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints” and if it was for me I wouldn’t even climb fences or risk getting caught by security guards / neighbours / … – but I guess that’s part of urban exploration and therefore unavoidable if you want to take good pictures of the really interesting places…
All the pictures on this blog are taken with Nikon cameras (D90 / D7000 / D7100) and the 18-200mm kit lens (locations shot after August 2010 most likely will include shots made with a Tokina 11-16mm lens), if nothing else is mentioned. I only publish JPEGs and I don’t do any post-production other than resizing the pictures. Once in a while I do some *tonemapped HDR photos which can be found here*.
If you would like to drop me a line, please leave a comment or write to abandonedkansaiSPAMPROTECTION@gmail.com; without the capitalized part, of course… Please understand that I am not a tour guide and e-mails about coordinates or security go directly to the spam folder! I am more than happy to answer e-mails, especially from other professionals, but please be aware that it might take me a while to do so, even after I responded to you before. It’s not out of spite or laziness, it’s simply because I live a very busy life and sometimes urgent things come up that require a certain priority.
If you don’t want to miss the latest article you can *like Abandoned Kansai on Facebook* and *follow this blog on Twitter* – and of course there is the *video channel on Youtube*…
Please contact me via e-mail, if you would like to use photos or videos published on Abandoned Kansai!
Major sites who did that in the past include:
news.com.au for their article about Expoland
japantimes.co.jp for their article about abandoned places in Japan
dailymail.co.uk for their article about Western Village
thesun.co.uk for their article about abandoned Japanese hospitals
express.co.uk for their article about abandoned Japanese hospitals
dailymail.co.uk for their article about abandoned Japanese hospitals
The Japan Times for an article about Western media and Japan (print also)
news.com.au for their article about Kejonuma Leisure Land
dailymail.co.uk for their article about Kejonuma Leisure Land
travelbook.de for their article about Kejonuma Leisure Land
weather.com for their article about Kejonuma Leisure Land
mirror.co.uk for their article about Nara Dreamland
abcnews.go.com for their article about Nara Dreamland
CNN.com citing Abandoned Kansai as their only source in an article about urbex in Japan
Previous to that, quite a few huge websites quoted and linked Abandoned Kansai – I was lenient in the past, but should I consider it picture stealing in future cases, I might have to take appropriate actions to protect myself and my media partners:
– io9 loving the abandoned Japanese Sex Museum
– Reddit and the discussion about the Shime Coal Mine being the perfect Anti-Zombie Fortress
– Knowyourmeme making the Anti-Zombie Fortress officially a meme
– Tofugu and their article about abandoned Japanese amusement parks
– neoteo mentioning the abandoned Japanese Sex Museum
– Aramatheydidn’t “republishing” Tofugu’s article
– Imagineeringdisney wrote an article about Nara Dreamland
– io9 picking up on the Anti-Zombie Fortress
– Wired and their article about haikyo
If you would like to own prints of some of my pictures please contact me. If a magazine will suffice try to get a copy of Tokyo Weekender or The Gopher Illustrated.
For einestages on Spiegel Online I wrote the following articles in German:
Traumland im Dornröschenschlaf
Kamikaze-Schule mit Meerblick
Die Insel der Versuchskaninchen
Abandoned Kansai 
Moin,
Kompliment an deinen Blog, gefällt mir echt gut, vorallem die ausführliche Exkursion nach Pripyat.
Wenn du da mit was anfangen kannst, nen kurzes Video, das ich letztes Jahr in der Bretagne gemacht hab, mit jeder menge Schiffswracks und so.
Vlt. gefälltst dir, wo du doch auch anfängst immer öfter nen Video anzuhängen.
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland
Fred
Tolles Video, vielen Dank! Früher oder später muss ich mich mal in Videoschnitt reinarbeiten, ich stelle meinen Kram ja derzeit völlig unbearbeitet hoch – was irgendwie schade ist, da man da bestimmt deutlich mehr rausholen könnte.
Pripyat war schon ein ganz spezielles Erlebnis, wobei mir einige andere Orte hier in Japan auch ganz besonders am Herzen liegen – vor allem die, die völlig unerwartet Kopfkino ausgelöst haben. Solche Momente sind einfach unbezahlbar und (leider) auch unplanbar…
You do an absolutely AMAZING job on this site! I have spent my entire 12 hour shift looking through the site and Im still not done. Just wanted to say job well done! Keep up the good work!! I enjoy looking at your work! 🙂
Thank you very much, Hillary! It’s really feedback like yours that keeps me going, especially during super busy times at work like the past (and future) couple of weeks…
Good Job 🙂
Thanks, that’s much appreciated – and some of the best locations are still yet to come…
Hello ! This is an amazing blog, I found it because I’m interested in haikyo as well, but I’m a bit of a chicken so I never had the guts to actually visit one.I really need to start, now…
Hi Vivi,
Thanks a lot for your kind words – it’s always nice to get positive feedback!
If I were you I’d used the next six to eight weeks to do some research (IMHO it’s way too hot and humid to enjoy urbex in Japan right now…) and then go to some more remote locations – places without nosy neighbours and security. Oh, and bring a friend or two, most locations are way less scary that way and you’ll have somebody to get help in case you get injured (which is rather unlikely, but you never know).
Yeah I’m not in Japan currently, and when I’ll get there again in October I’ll only have 9 days (with a quite tight schedule). So until next year when I’ll be there for a longer time, i’ll have time to do some research.
Last year I was in Nagasaki and tried to get to Gunkanjima, but a typhoon decided to prevent me from doing so.
Oh, I see – the great thing about abandoned places: There are plenty all over the world.
If you ever stop by in Kansai and you wanna go on an exploration let me know; I know the area pretty well by now…
Gunkanjima is indeed tricky. Sometimes even sunny days can prevent you from going – in those cases I recommend Ikeshima.
Yeah just in the street where I live there are 5 abandonned houses, one was in a fire 15 years ago but the others are just fine. They are all over 150 years old so usually, going inside is quite dangerous as the floor is rotten. The upper level of my own house is like that so when we go up there, we stay on the stairs. We never walked on the floor there, you can see through it.
I’ll be in Nara during 2 days in October but nothing more planned in the region for this year. I’ll let you know anyway, that would be great.
Those really old houses might bare some really interesting objects to take pictures of, but since I have relatives in the Black Forest I know how dangerous and rotten those buildings can be. I’d rather stick with solid concrete buildings, too…
When you are in Nara have a look at *Nara Dreamland* – even if you don’t enter it (there’s still security…) it’s quite interesting to have a look from the outside and maybe walk across the eastern parking lot at the entrance.
Ich LIEBE deinen Blog! Hab heute zum ersten mal durch zufall von deinem (und anderen) Blogs erfahren, und find es toll das es Leute wie euch gibt die so toll über dieses soch sehr seltene(wie ich meine) hobby schreiben. Meine beste Freundin und ich suchen schon seit ‘ner weile nach verlassenen orten um Fotos zu machen, hatten allerdings noch keinen erfolg… Da dachte ich, da du ja deutsch bist, weißt du evtl. wo es verlassene orte hier gibt (da ich wohl mindestens bis ich volljährig bin & einen job habe nicht nach japan kommen kann^^).
Anyways; mach weiter so, dein blog ist klasse!
Hi Laura,
freut mich sehr, dass dir mein Blog gefällt!
Urbex wird weltweit immer beliebter, aber die beiden Michaels und ich haben den großen Vorteil, dass wir in Japan leben und dementsprechend alle immer wieder auf Orte stoßen, über die zuvor nur auf Japanisch berichtet wurde (oder gar nicht – wie beispielsweise “Doggy Land“).
Mit verlassenen Orten in Deutschland kenne ich mich leider nicht wirklich gut aus und habe bislang auch kaum Erfahrung gemacht, da ich immer nur wenige Wochen pro Jahr in Deutschland verbringe – aber es gibt inzwischen auch viele Blogs zum Thema urbex in Deutschland und einige davon sind recht freizügig mit Informationen über genaue Standorte. Was generell hilft, ist GoogleMaps. Schalte dort einfach mal die Bilderfunktion an oder suche bei Panoramio nach einschlägigen Schlagworten. Je nachdem wo du wohnst, scheinen bestimmte Arten von verlassenen Orten zu dominieren. In Belgien sind das Herrenhäuser, im Ruhrgebiet Zechen, in Ostdeutschland russische Militärbasen. Nur Süddeutschland scheint schwierig…
Viel Erfolg bei der Suche – und lass mich wissen, wenn du erfolgreich warst und auch einen Blog startest!
Hello! I have been reading your blog since I saw the article in aramatheydidn’t, and I really love it 🙂 Your blog caught my interest in urban exploration, which I have never known before reading this blog. That is why I decided to pick the subject of Haikyo, the act of urbex in Japan, for my college project. Therefore, I would like to ask whether you could help me with my research on haikyo. I might ask some questions regarding the topic, if you do not mind 🙂
Thank you for your consideration, keep up the amazing work!
Edina
Hi Edina,
thanks a lot for your kind feedback – it’s always nice to hear some positive words about what I’m doing as my favorite hobby!
No problem, just write me an e-mail to my gmail address and I’ll answer your questions to the best of my abilities – good luck with your college project!
Thank you so much! I’ll e-mail you the questions soon. Sometimes I feel envious when reading your blog, since here around my living area there’s nothing much to explore 😦 (and college eats up my time!)
I especially love articles of abandoned theme parks, since they remind me of the movie Spirited Away lol 🙂
No problem! I’m the “mean guy” often enough when I refuse telling people the exact location of a place I found by myself or spent hours of research on… I’m more than happy to help when I can!
For a long time I thought the area I grew up in had no abandoned places either, but when I visited friends and family in August I did almost a dozen explorations – the first ones I did in Germany. Some of them were stunningly beautiful and very unique. Keep your eyes and ears open – there might be a long forgotten factory or asylum right around the corner…
As for theme parks: They are my favorites, too. I still have material for 3 Nara Dreamland postings; maybe it’s about time to publish one of them…
Hello there. I just want to say that I really dig your blog of abandoned places. Keep up the interesting work 🙂
Thanks a lot, much appreciated!
Wow, wonderful work. You’re doing things I’ve always wanted to do – your website is amazing! Thanks for risking your sanity – and sometimes your life! – to bring us these amazing stories an photos! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks a lot, Jesica – actually I’m doing this to keep my sanity… 🙂
Hallo, und Gratulation zu Deinem Blog, ist spannend, hier zu lesen!
Ein wenig geschockt war ich ja von Yashima, ich kenne das Eckchen noch aus etwas besseren Tagen, ist noch gar nicht so lange her…
Ich würde den Blog gern in die Linkliste meiner Homepage aufnehmen. Du kannst mir ja mal kurz Bescheid geben, ob das okay ist. :o)
Gruß,
Andreas
Danke für die netten Worte, Andreas!
Die Abrissarbeiten auf Yashima scheinen wohl erst vor kurzer Zeit stattgefunden zu haben und sind an den japanischen Blogs auch komplett unbemerkt vorbeigegangen…
Linkliste geht natürlich klar – vielen Dank! Der Blog hier ist ja kein Geheimnis und ich freue mich über jeden, der an der Thematik interessiert ist.
Hallo Hr. Florian Seidel,
ich fand Ihren letzen Bericht über die Kamikaze-Schule sehr interessant, und habe einen Teil auf Griechisch (frei) übersetzt, für die hellenisch-sprechende community im Net, mit der Angabe eines links zu Ihrem Blog, für alle die sich vielleicht um mehr Details interessieren. (http://www.fox2magazine.net/%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%B8%CF%81%CE%B1/4671-%CE%A3%CF%87%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%BF-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%B6%CE%B9-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CE%B8%CE%AD%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7-%CE%B8%CE%AC%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1.html)
Auf die schöne story bin ich über das einestages.de gestoßen – ist auch in Ihrem Blog zu lesen. Das war der Grund wieso ich es nicht für nötig hielt einen 2. Link anzugeben. Ein Irrtum.
Das fox2magazine.net ist kein professionelles Magazine, wir schreiben für uns, persönlich fand ich den Blickwinkel der Betrachtung interessant, mal etwas anderes auch für die hellenisch-sprechende community.
Wie ich hier lese (http://www.maniac-forum.de/forum/pxmboard.php?mode=message&brdid=6&msgid=293341), hat Ihnen die Vorgehensweise nicht gefallen – verständlich (kein Grund den Plural zu wählen).
Natürlich werde ich den Beitrag aus meinem Blog komplett entfernen, und an der gleichen Stelle der community mitteilen der Verfasser des Berichtes war nicht mit der Vorgehensweise einverstanden.
MfG,
GP
Sehr geehrter GP,
prinzipiell habe ich gegen Kooperationen nicht einzuwenden – ganz im Gegenteil!
In diesem Fall ist die Lage allerdings etwas komplizierter, weil nicht nur wir beide, sondern auch Spiegel Online involviert ist. Während SPON die Bilder weitestgehend unbearbeitet veröffentlicht, schreiben die Redakteure die dazugehörigen Texte oft recht stark um; so auch in diesem Fall. Leider haben Sie sich vor der Übersetzung des Artikels (wie frei und / oder komplett die gewesen ist, kann ich mangels Griechischkenntnissen leider nicht beurteilen) weder mit mir noch mit der SPON-Redaktion in Verbindung gesetzt – sonst hätte ich Ihnen gerne die Erlaubnis gegeben, bei Quellenangabe meine Bilder zu verwenden und sich beim restlichen Artikel an meinen englischsprachigen Blog-Einträgen zu orientieren. So aber habe ich per Referrer einen Link zu einer mir unbekannten Seite in einer mir unbekannten Sprache erhalten und sonst nichts… Der flapsige Kommentar im Maniac-Forum war im Geiste des Forums und bitte nicht als Angriff auf die hellenische community zu verstehen – ich bin Griechenland auf vielerlei Art verbunden und dementsprechend liegt mir nichts ferner, als ein derartiges Bild zu erzeugen.
Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn: Die Vorgehensweise mit der ich nicht einverstanden war (und bin), ist die, dass Material von mir und SPON ohne Rücksprache verwendet wurde. Falls Sie wieder einmal auf Bilder oder Artikel von mir stoßen, die Sie gerne verwenden möchten, schreiben Sie mir doch einfach eine kurze E-Mail. Erst gestern hatte ich eine Anfrage von einem Pferde-Blog bezüglich meiner Przewalski-Bilder – und natürlich habe ich die Verwendung gerne gestattet!
You Sir, are my new idol! You have visited all of the places I would love to go, espcially Pripyat and Hashima. Due to budget restraints I can’t afford to travel to any of these places…yet. I don’t suppose you know of any good abandoned places in the UK do you? Ideally in the North of the UK. I’m a 3D artist and I was wondering, if I ever need them, would I be able to use some of your pictures for referrence with my models? And to use your knowledge to make them as real as possible!
Keep up the exploring!
Thanks,
Jack
Hey Jack,
The trip to Pripyat was surprisingly affordable and most of the other locations I write about are in the neighborhood of where I live (well, by now I guess I consider 2 hour long train rides “neighborhood”…) – either in Japan or in Germany when I visit my family and friends back home.
I’m sorry, I’ve done only little research on abandoned places in the UK since it’s rather unlikely I will have the chance to go there in the weeks and months to come. I know that there are quite a few urbex blogs about the UK, but I didn’t have a closer look.
Please go ahead and use my photos for reference – and if you have any questions I may be able to answer please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. (Unless you want to know about the exact location of some of the places I visited – I tend to not answer those e-mails. Sorry!)
Hello Florian,
Thanks for getting back to me! I’m sure once I’ve graduated and got a job then I’ll be able to afford some trips and Pripyat will be on top of my list as it’s the closest to me. A 2 hour long train ride wouldn’t bother me in the slightest I love trains but I definitely wouldn’t consider it as in my neighbourhood! I’m going to do some research into places in the UK. I know a couple of my photographer friends have found a few nice places around where I live but it can be a tad risky if you know what I mean. Thanks for the permission to use your pictures. If I do ever use any of them (which I’m sure I will when I have some spare time) I will credit you properly. And I’d never ask for any specific locations so don’t worry about that.
Thanks again for getting in touch with me.
Hope you’re well,
Jack
Saw your tour of Sembach AB. I was stationed there from 11/66 to 11/69. Great place to be, especially at that point in time.
Nowadays it’s a very relaxed abandoned place. I might revisit Sembach in a couple of weeks since I couldn’t see quite a bit of the area last time due to heavy rain.
Als Neuzeitarchäologin fühlt man sich gleich seelenverwandt … 🙂
Leider werden hier in Österreich “junge” Ruinen nicht stehen gelassen.
Viel Erfolg weiterhin!
Grüße aus Wien
M.S.
Es gibt wohl ein paar wenige, aber dafür sehr sehenswerte moderne Ruinen in Österreich – irgendwie scheint man bei euch, in der Schweiz und in Bayern deutlich rigoroser zu sein als im Rest der Welt…
Ich hoffe, du bleibst mir als treue Leserin erhalten. Material für mindestens zwei Jahre liegt bereits auf der Festplatte bereit! 🙂
Hey man, I’m from America, and your article made me feel closest to Chernobyl and Prypiat as I’ll ever get. I’m from the former plastics capital, Leominster Ma., where there are, suprisingly, few abandoned buildings. Wish I could get into urban exploration but the security here in Massachusetts is too tight. You have no idea how lucky you are to have gone there man.
Hey Kurt,
it’s great to hear that you liked my articles about Chernobyl and Pripyat – please tell a friend! 🙂
Urbex seems to be a lot more dangerous in the States than it is in Japan and Europe. Both places are perfect for some Weekend explorations, especially in spring and autumn…
Hi, I stumbled across this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c55z0wk-tBA and wondered if you had any information about it. The people who posted the video won’t give out the coordinates or location of this abandoned site. I live in the Pfalzwald and I’m interested in visiting this location if I can figure out where it is.
I honestly have no idea where this location is, but it looks quite interesting. Maybe I’ll do some research one day!
Hello, i live in Asakura ( kyushu ). sorry for my english, i am from Italy and i lived in japan since 10 years. i guess i’m forgetting english…..thank you for the homepage, it’s very interesting, really i appreciate this very much !!!!
i’m becoming interested in urban exploration after last year visit in gunkanjima with an organized tour. urban exploration in japan seems to be wonderful….. ( if only i had more working holidays…^_^ ) but i’m quite afraid to do it ALONE ( my wife doesn’t share the same interest….ARGHHHH ! )
I’d like to Urban Explore something near fukuoka during my natsuyasumi….er, summer holidays ( thank you google translator ), but i would like to explore somewhere safe and easy ( it’s my first exploration and i am alone…). Can you suggest something ? ? ?
Safe and easy… The I would recommend the *Tower of the Shime Coal Mine*, but since you won’t be able to enter it I doubt it’ll be a rewarding experience. I guess going to *Ikeshima* would be perfect for you – just make sure to catch an early ferry so you’ll have enough time to see the whole island!
Would absolutely LOVE to visit Japan again…and explore like this! My mother was born in Fukuoka (Amakusa on the Kyushu Island?) & I believe we last visited that area during late 70’s or early 80’s. Now as an adult, I deeply treasure those times & truly wish I’d kept in touch with my relatives. As I read here on Kansai, I can clearly hear my mother’s voice repeating the phrase ” haiyaiku, ne! ” So ” Hontoni-o do mo arigato gozai masu” to Mr. Florian-sama!
Heya Florian,
being absolutely obsessed with abandoned places, traces humans left and how nature conquers back it’s space, I’m very happy I found your site!
Great collection.
Thanks,
Sanne
Hi Sanne,
Thanks a lot for your kind words! The collection will grow every week and although I already wrote about some fascinating locations some of the best are still waiting to be written about…
Hallo!
Ich bin über Gakuranman auf deinen Blog aufmerksam geworden!
Ich bin ebenfalls Deutsche und lebe seit etwa 5 Jahren in Japan.
Finde die Fotos, die du hier mit uns teilst wirklich spannend!
Selbst war ich bisher nur “auf” Gunkanjima unterwegs. Ich bin eigentlich nicht so der Haikyo Fan und renne eher japanischen Schlössern hinterher. *g*
Ich werde deinem Blog von nun an folgen!
Vielen Dank, dass du dir so viel Mühe gibst und all diese tollen Orte mit uns teilst! ^__^
Dann herzlichen willkommen hier auf Abandoned Kansai! Material ist bereits für Jahre vorhanden und da Japan reich an verlassen Orten ist, wird mir das Material so schnell nicht ausgehen – mit neuen Burgen wird es in diesen Tage vermutlich eher schwierig werden, von daher hast du wenigstens ein klares Ziel vor Augen! 🙂
Hi Florian,
Thank you very much for stopping by at mine. It’s an honour to have you there. 🙂
It’s nice to know you. 🙂
Thanks for having a look at my blog in return!
Thanks for liking one of my posts. Love your theme, I have always loved old buildings with a particular liking for stopping by old industrial ruins on my bike rides.
You would have loved the hospital and Roman Ruins in Verona http://idonotdespair.com/2012/09/27/verona-cyclists-thanks-for-the-hospitality/
I would love to go to Italy in general again. I spent many summer vacations as a child there and especially the northern part has some really interesting modern ruins.
thanks for checking out my blog! Yours looks wonderful. Hooray for explorers!
Urban exploration, that sounds interesting. It is the first time I hear about it so you have to excuse me if I am asking redundant questions. What exactly is urban exploration? Do you seek out abandonded buildings and photograph them? Or is it more than that?
In any case I love abandonded buildings. I’m planning to blog about an entire abandonded village in Hokkaido at some point in the future.
http://thejapans.wordpress.com/
That’s basically it. Although the whole thing is one big grey area. A lot of so-called abandoned buildings are not really abandoned, they are just not in use anymore. If somebody repairs smashed windows or even hires security then the place isn’t really abandoned. On the other hand urbex is more to me just finding and photographing buildings. I am interested in history a lot, so I spend quite an amount of time on reseaching the backstory of a location if possible. My article about Okunoshima for example could easily be expanded to a university paper in Japanese Studies.
So in the end urbex is as much or as little as you want it to be…
(And I guess the town you are talking about is Haboro, right?)
Thanks for the explanation. It’s nice to discover something I never knew existed, like urban exploration. I’ve started to follow your blog so hopefully I will learn more about it as I read your future posts.
The town in Hokkaido that I was referring to is not Haboro. I feel quite happy about my ‘mystery town’ now, so I will keep the mystery alive for now 🙂 But of course I will let you know when I publish the article (and then it will probably turn out that it is a super famous place that you have known about for a long time, haha).
Japan has dozens, probably hundreds of ghost towns. The main reason for that is the rural exodus over the past couple of decades… Haboro is probably the most famous since it was featured in several books and TV shows, but you can find them in all shapes and sizes. Some are whole towns with dozens of buildings, others are not more than half a dozens shacks in the middle of nowhere. God luck with your article, I am looking forward to it!
Wow, massively interesting blog – will keep my eye on this!
Thanks! Some of the best stuff is yet to come…
Guten nacht,
If you’re ever in the Midwest USA, shoot me a message. There are still plenty of weird abandoned places here which I’d be happy to wander to. 🙂
Thanks for liking my post
Cheers,
-G. Keiser
I’d love to explore the abandoned parts of the American midwest! There are so many great abandoned places in the States… but I think I would be too worried getting shot… 😉
Wow! Such an interesting and unique site. I am really loving the content. Thanks for visiting my blog, Dabble. I really appreciate it. Looking forward to reading more from you!!
Hi Laura,
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
And likewise – you are off to a great start. I am looking forward to more travel reports!
What a great site! We love exploring the abandoned and unknown in America. So many great places! It always saddens me to see the vandalism in many of the locations though. I’ve really enjoyed looking around your site. It’s neat to see abandoned places in another country.
Thanks a lot for your kind words – I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit. Japan has a plethora of abandoned place. Lots of variety, too. I just miss huge industrial areas like in central Europe, especially Belgium.
Hey man thanks for the likes. Your pictures are fascinating 😀
Thanks a lot – so are yours!
Solid documentary. Much more here. Look forward to reading more.
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
Love your site. I lived in Kameoka, other side of Kyoto, about 20 years ago. I am extremely jealous of your adventure and will be checking back on your blog to see what you have discovered next…
Oh, Kameoka – then you lived quite close to the *Mount Atago Cable Car*! Lovely area… So close to Kobe, but already countryside.
I hope you’ll find many more interesting articles on Abandoned Kansai – thanks a lot for your nice feedback!
Nicely done
Thanks for stopping by!
Very, very, very…. Interesting!!!
Thanks a lot – plenty more to come!
Fascinating stories!
You have a brilliant blog in here Florian… Pictures and places in your blog are so rare that not many are visited or see on the internet… This is great! Keep it going! I am loving it! 🙂
Thanks a lot for the nice feedback! I’ll do my best to update Abandoned Kansai at least once a week for as long as possible.
I would love to read them!! 🙂
Thank You for visit in my “norenown” blog.
Yours foto is very inspiring and absolutly great place!
The main topic of my photographic pursuits.
Old age, destruction, and leave all the manifestations of life.
yeah .. I’m fascinated by ugliness.
It’s nice that I’m not alone.
Thank you!
If I can, I invite you to my abandoned places:
http://dablju.wordpress.com/category/fotograficznie/industrial/
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
I’ll check out your page again as soon as I have a little bit more time…
Hey thanks for the like on my blog, you have a great blog here.
You are Publishing some really interesting photos – thanks for stopping by at Abandoned Kansai!
Very interesting ‘about’ and blog. Pictures can tell so many stories! Thanks for your recent visit to my blog.
Thanks a lot – please come back for more virtually unknown abandoned locations.
Florian, thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m glad you enjoyed my vicarious vacation…I’ll have to vicariously travel to Japan one day. Your blog topic–the fascination of abandoned places–is something I only learned about recently. I have a follower who is a photographer and he’s done a series on abandoned buildings. His name is Robert Santafede, if you are interested. His photos are often quite dark (in content, not necessarily photographically).
I hope you’ll stop back by one day soon. Once I finish school, I’ll have more time to work on my blogs and will post with more (or less) regularity. Suzy
Thanks a lot for stopping by and recommending the work of Robert Santafede – it’s always interesting to look at the explorations of fellow explorers.
Hey,
I just felt compelled to tell you how wonderful I think your blog is. I’m a sucker for all things abandoned and you have a great selection of work. Would love to see some pictures of Aokigahara forest, if you’re brave enough to go there 😉 (Abandoned people count right?) Anyway, keep up the good work Sir, I have followed and look forward to your future posts 🙂
Marley
http://www.ambivalencepersonified.wordpress.com
Thanks a lot for your kind words! Comments like yours make it so much easier to get up at 5 a.m. to spend the whole day in the cold exploring moldy abandoned buildings most likely to collapse soon…
Aokigahara Forest certainly would be an interesting place to visit, sadly it’s rather far away from where I live. Weekend trip range, not day trip range… Maybe in spring. 🙂
You’re very welcome. I look forward to your next pictures and shall keep my fingers crossed for spring time! 🙂
Hola Florian! Danke für Deinen Besuch bei mir. Las mich gerade durch ein paar Deiner Seiten. Hochinteressant! Etwas überraschend für mich ist jedoch, dass Japan scheinbar einige ‘abandoned sites’ hat. Ich glaubte, Grund und Boden seien auf den Inseln zu wertvoll um ungenutzt zu bleiben.
Fantastischer Blog, bin auf neue Beiträge sehr gespannt.
Salduos desde México!
Boden ist in der Regel tatsächlich sehr wertvoll, allerdings gibt es hier eine große “Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn”-Mentalität. Wenn sich niemand mehr zuständig fühlt, werden solchen Ruinen einfach weg ignoriert. Vor allem auf dem Land. In Großstädten oder generell in Bahnhofsnähe gibt es auch in Japan nur wenige Ruinen. Aber wen stört schon ein verlassenes Hotel irgendwo auf einem Berg?
Grüße nach Mexiko,
Florian
Scheint, die Bodenspekulation treibt ihre Blüten überall, oder? Ansonsten, vielleicht wirst Du es nicht glauben, gibt es starke Bindungenzwischen Mexiko und Japón, wirklich, nicht nur bei pseudo-Shushi! Guckst Du: http://vallartina.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/be-strong-%E5%BC%B7%E3%81%95-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E6%B4%A5%E6%B3%A22011/
LG Nach Japan!
Perhaps you have heard about Swedish Jan Jörnmark who has been documenting lots of abandoned places all around the industrialized world? I find his pictures interesting and evocative.
http://creativedestruction.se
http://jornmark.se/
Thank you so much for sharing your blog it was very interesting to read and please stop on my blog. My plan route solo sailing around the world for next year in 2013 of May. I am fluently in Japanese language,writing and reading. WATASHI WA NIHONGONO TSUYO EIKYYO TO BUNKA> TRANSLATION
IN ENGLISH STRONG INFLUENCE IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I come from Japan. Thank you for visiting my blog. Your blog and photograph are interesting.
Thanks a lot – I hope I was able to show you a side of your home country you haven’t known yet.
Thank you replying my blog. You are right. Merry Christmas!
Cool, I also work for a German firm in Yokohama 🙂 I will be often visiting your blog, so far is a very interesting journey!
Thanks a lot! Tons of abandoned stuff in Kanto if you ever want to give it a try yourself…
Hi Florain nice reading about you being german & staying in japan.
Thanks for visiting my blog, be in touch with my blog browse through the categories, u may find it interesting
Being the polite little Southern belle that I am (insert sarcastic eyeroll here), it was only fitting and proper that since you had liked one of my posts I should come visit your blog and like one of yours, right? The thing is, Florian, I got the better end of the deal on this one. Your work is amazing, and I found myself enthralled by something I didn’t even know existed. Your writing is comprehensive yet precise, and your photos are breathtaking. Thank you for your visit to my blog, and thank you for sharing your talents with the rest of us.
Thank you very much for your extremely kind words! Nothing makes me happier than to know that some people out there enjoy reading my articles and looking at the photos as much as I enjoyed exploring abandoned places and putting the articles together. There are not many win-win situations in life, but it seems like this is one of them… So thanks for stopping by and leaving this unbelievably motivating comment!
Thank you for the great information and pictures. I would love to visit Japan but that might never happen. Still, you bring it a step closer.
Thanks a lot for your nice feedback!
If you ever get the chance to visit Japan – take it! It’s a wonderful country to travel to, especially in spring and autumn.
Great work! Look forward to reading more in the future. 😀
Thanks a lot – I’m looking forward to having you back!
Amazing site you have here. The photos are wonderful and the info about the places you visit is great. I look forward to seeing more!
Thank you very much! 151 articles are already online and there will be at least 151 more…
amazing blog, nice shots nice explanation.. love it. i think i need special time to read all the posts in your blog ^_^
Thanks a lot! 3 years ago I would have never thought that I would write an article a week and that so many people would enjoy them… Thanks for your kind and motivating feedback – and I hope you’ll find that special time to catch up with all the previous posts!
🙂
Florian,
I just wanted to say that I think your blog is wonderful. I get so immersed in your posts and the videos and pictures are just hauntingly beautiful.
Keep doing what you’re doing and share it with us readers! Thanks!
Thanks a lot Nina! I put quite a bit of time and effort into this blog, so I really appreciate your positive and motivating feedback!
I love what you are doing! Exploration is a wonderful thing. And thanks for liking my post, it brought me to your blog.
You have some really gorgeous photos on your blog! Thanks for stopping by in return…
Sounds like a very useful blog you’ve got there Florian, and some wonderful photos. I love your motto as well. Thanks for your like on my blog, I appreciate it!
Hi Florian, thanks for visiting my blog, or I might not have discovered your amazing blog. Brilliant concept and great photographs!
Thank you, and good luck!
Thanks a lot for your nice and encouraging words! There are not many English blogs about urbex in Japan, so I hope I’ll be able to present a different side of this wonderful country…
Thanks for visiting my blog about Israel under snow. I had never heard the concept of urbex and haikyo so thank you for sharing your explorations. For a small country Israel has quite a few abandoned places, some like sites that were destroyed by the earthquake of 749CE, quite old. Never thought of them as haikyo.
I didn’t know about the heavy snowfall until I saw it on your and other people’s blogs. Israel isn’t exactly big news in Japan…
I think everybody defines the whole urbex / haikyo thing for themselves. To me they are mostly modern ruins, i.e. abandoned in the last 30 or 40 years. Sometimes not even really abandoned, like *Nara Dreamland*. Historic ruins I usually leave out, otherwise I would have to and could shoot places every day.
You have a very interesting perspective in your blog. I enjoyed the narrative style to your post on Abandoned Kansai. Thanks for liking my Sun, Snow and Ice post.
it’s abandoned but yet beautiful, Great photos! Hi Florian…. 😀
Thanks a lot, anggoen!
Wow, what an interesting site. I’ve always gotten a chill down my back when it comes to abandoned places. So creepy. Places like Kansai are unique because of the reason they were abandoned (although any reason to abandon a place must be extreme and full of some sort of urgency) which makes them ultra creepy. Keep it up!
Thanks a lot – there will be an update every week (if everything goes according to plan…) and I am still exploring. Japan has so many ruins, I am still a bit overwhelmed sometimes… 🙂
Hej from Sweden,
Thank you for liking my recent post ” updates from Gullringstorp” Welcome back anytime!
Belated Happy New Year!
Thanks for stopping by – and a happy new year to you, too!
Thank you for stopping by! I believe your blog to be unusual and interesting in many ways. Definitely of high interest to my son and daughter who are leaving for Japan this spring! They will be living in Kyoto and Tokyo, so I don’t know how close any of these places will be to get to. Anyway – fantastic idea, photos and site!
About half of the places presented on Abandoned Kansai are in day trip distance of Kyoto as I am based in Osaka.
I hope your children will have a wonderful time in Japan!
Greetings awesome blogger! I have listed your blog as one of the most versatile blogs on wordpress! I find your blog to be hands down one of the most interesting sites on the entire web, and I commend you immensely for covering a vast array of topics. If you would like, you may make a similar post. If not, that is your choice, and no one can hold anything that you choose against you. I have started following your blog, and I look forward to all of your future posts.
http://intellectualrevolutionary.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/most-versatile-blogs-on-wordpress/
Thanks, much appreciated!
Hello Florian! Great blog and pictures! I am grateful that you liked my post and that i could find you than.. I am always very glad to discover interesting people and blogs like yours!! Hope you keep passing by and giving your opinion on my posts 🙂
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the “like” on my recent post. I’m happy that you enjoyed it.
I love your blog so far! I am looking forward to following it and learning much more about Kansai.
Florian, I’ve nominated you for “The Versatile Blogger Award”. It’s basically just one blogger recognizing other bloggers whose work they admire. There are some logistics involved, nothing incredibly complicated, so here’s the short link:http://wp.me/p1XDRR-au. No pressure if you don’t care to participate, either way I think your blog is fabulous.
Thanks, that’s the third nomination within 24 hours… I really need to look into that awardonce I have a couple of minutes.
Thanks so much for liking my Shepherd’s Pie with Chinese 5 Spice on RoodonFood. I love the fantastic pictures on your blog. Who doesn’t need a Anti-Zombie Fortress option? Kudos for your Reddit exposure as well.
Being in Japan for six years now my interest in food blogs increased dramatically recently…
Thanks for visiting! Your photos are gorgeous. Wish I had your camera!
Thanks a lot! I am very happy with the camera and both of my lenses – since I don’t do any enhancing post-production it’s important to get everything right when pressing the shutter button and the D7000 is giving me all the support I need… 🙂
Thanks so much for visiting and liking my recent post ‘Word of the Week Challenge entry – Clouds’ ; your support is appreciated! I look forward to following you and seeing more of your adventures in urban Japan. Safe travels and take care – Stan
That’s a gorgeous set of photos!
Thanks for stopping by – dozens of locations are just waiting to be published… 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂
Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my recent post! You have amazing photos on your blog…really enjoyed looking around on here! Keep it up! 🙂
Thank you for visiting my blog today. I appreciate the time you took to stop by. It looks like you enjoy living in Japan. I lived there for a couple of months and loved it!! Never made it out to Osaka though…will do that on my next visit!!
Osaka itself, much like Tokyo, is rather unspectacular, but it’s a great place to stay for daytrips – again, much like Tokyo…
Fascinating! I will be back because your affection for edgelands (a term we use in the UK) and sacrifice zones (a term gaining popularity in the US) matches mine. Some astounding photos and text. Glad you like “In search of unusual destinations”, by the way. Phil.
Thanks a lot! I’ve never heard of those terms before, but sadly I don’t have much time to read a lot of urbex blogs – it’s time consuming enough to keep up with the Japanese homepages to find some new locations close-by…
I’m looking forward to updates on your blog!
Hi! Thank you for checking out my blog.
You have a pretty cool site!
I wish you all the best, Diana.
Florian,
Thank you for the visit. Japan looks like an amazing place to visit and live.
I like your self-made “guide book”.
Can’t wait to learn more…
Happy blogging Florian
Thanks a lot for stopping by and leaving a nice comment! Weekly updates, plenty off locations just waiting to be published…
Hi Florian,
I have just been flicking through your many blog images which are all wonderful,I will have to call later for a further look.
Thanks a lot – way too much to see and read in one session, so please come back any time!
Hello!
Thank you for “liking” my post “Desert in Bloom” on
uribotanicalgardens.wordpress.com
For some reason the photographic theme of urban decay really appeals to me! I enjoy looking through your blog, great pictures.
Best,
Gabrielle
Hi Florian,
Thanks for visiting and liking our blog post. You have some amazing and unique photography here!
I’m jealous of your travels!
I actually did most of my explorations close to where I live or close to where I grew up. Nevertheless I enjoy travelling within Japan. The country is much more fun from a traveller’s perspective than from an employee’s perspective…
Great Blog! I’ve been researching this topic for a while now..Great images and videos! Well done!!!
Your blog is amazing. You put in a lot of work and that’s great.
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Says I am following but have not received any notifications your posts. I envy photography ability – I am so bad with a camera, if I go somewhere I just buy the post cards and send them to myself.
Hm, that’s strange. Please go to “Reader” when logged into WordPress and then have a look at the right column. Next to the menu item “Blogs I Follow” it says “EDIT”. Click EDIT to see a list of blogs you follow and please make sure that it says “You get instant post and instant comment emails for this blog” to receive all updates. If it says “You get no post and no comment emails for this blog” my articles only appear in your reader without you getting an e-mail.
What kind of camera do you use? I wasn’t interested in photography until I bought my first DSLR – the D90 / D7000 changed my attitude towards photography completely…
Fascinating topic! I can’t wait to look at more of your photos. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
There will be weekly updates about all kinds of abandoned places – I hope you’ll enjoy them!
I nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blog Award 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Wonderful blog!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Much appreciated!
amazing blog! all the photos are beautifully taken and you write the explanation/history as well
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Very well done!!
Thanks a lot Jeffrey!
Hey, thanks for stopping by and the like! Beautiful photographs. Linda.
Amazing and beautiful.
Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my poem “The gleaming waterfall”
Would definitely follow your blog.
Thanks for visiting! (I’m so glad you did – I’m going to Japan for the first time this summer so will have to check back for inspiration!)
Hey Catherine,
If you need advice for touristy spots like the *Shime Coal Mine*, *Gunkanjima* or *Okunoshima* let me know! Most of the other places I write about are a bit more tricky unless you are willing to take certain risks…
Hallo Florian – ich bin eine deutsche Emigrantin, wohne in Amerika, aber reise viel. Schoenen Dank fuer deinen Blog Besuch. Looking forward to seeing your blog….
Hey Annette,
als Emigrant fühle ich mich hier in Japan eher weniger, aber Auswanderung ist auch nicht mein Ziel – Expat trifft es da ganz gut; wobei das mit dem „dauerhaft“ in Amerika aus vielerlei Gründen auch einfacher ist, hier wäre es eher „Dauerhaft“… 😉
Hi, thank you for visiting me at City Jackdaw, I haven’t been blogging long. Great blog you have- I agree strongly with the unwritten rule that you follow.
Best wishes.
Florian, I’ve nominated you for the LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD!
I’ve posted details on my site ( http://acceleratedstall.com ) so go there, check it out and most importantly… have some fun with it!
* There is no completion/due date *
Hi Maria,
Thanks a lot for the nomination, but I probably won’t have time to deal with it properly – I’d rather write about the abandoned place I explore than random facts about myself… Nevertheless I am very happy to be deemed worthy of awards! 🙂
No problem and I really want you out there finding those spots. Each post I think, “This is it! This is the best yet.” and then you post again and the cycle continues. *grin*
Thanks, Maria, much appreciated! It’s always interesting to see everybody’s reaction about each place as my perception often differs from yours. Usually yours is more positive… 🙂
BTW: If you haven’t done it yet I strongly recommend reading older articles, at least the ones mention on the “Best of: Locations” page. There are still plenty of amazing locations to come, but I already wrote about some of my all-time favorites.
Thanks for that tip Florian I will start going through the archive and checking out the gems therein.
Wow! This is all so cool. I’m glad you liked one of my posts so I could find your blog! You are seeing such a different side of Japan than I am (both literally and figuratively).
Hey Heidi,
Thanks a lot for stopping by! Indeed, I’m seeing quite a different side of Japan, and it keeps me motivated to travel all over this beautiful country. Usually I go to a place to explore a modern ruin – and then I end up enjoying off the beaten track sightseeing spots I would have never seen otherwise… 🙂
You have a fascinating site, captivating photos. I’m subscribing and will follow closely…
Thanks a lot!
Thank you for your visit. I am a simple (well are we really simple at anything?)
poet. Your photos look like something I might want to explore and write haiku or small verse on. So I will book mark your site. This month I am busy with several projects besides my daily verse for National Poetry Month. Continued success with your photography.
I consider myself a simple photographer and don’t think that it’s demeaning in any way; simplicity often is part of the attraction. I don’t do enhancing postproduction, I do tonemapped HDR only on a special page and I don’t even crop – and I think that’s why so many people can relate to my photos.
Thanks for the visit and liking my blog, thus leading me to yours! Truly fascinating … I can see many hours of reading ahead 🙂 Love the photos too and look forward to visiting frequently! Cheers.
Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, there are 170 articles on Abandoned Kansai so far. Sometimes I am surprised myself how many locations I’ve already written about.
Thank for stopping by, you have a great site!
Thanks a lot – the last couple of articles were popular, but there are some spectacular ones coming up soon!
What a great idea for a blog! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment! 🙂
Thank you for the like:) You have a great blog!
Florian,
Thanks for stopping by http://www.travelbyterry.com. I am very gratified that you enjoyed my latest post “You Say St. Martin And I Say St. Maarten”. You have some interesting pictures on your site!
Thanks for liking my post on “Heels to Kicks!” Your work is beautiful and I absolutely applaud your adventurous spirit.
Thanks a lot! I hope you’ll come back for the North Korea Special! 🙂
Looking forward to it! I would love to learn more about North Korea. 🙂
The first article is online already – *please click here* to read it.
Aww, Florian! Thank you for coming by Piggletino’s site. We’re planning another trip to Japan not too far from now, and you’re right – there are few sites that share such great info in English. That’s a lot of good stuff you share here! 🙂
Thanks for dropping by at The Lazy Vagabond. I’ve given a cursory glance to your writings, and read the first post about North Korea. You are doing a really good job, both with your writing, and your photographs.
~Happy travelling~
Thanks a lot, it’s always nice to get positive feedback!
Florian,
I appreciate you dropping by the blog! Thank you. As I browse through your page I can’t help but feel every emotion in the photos you took. Clearly, photography is your strong hand. You have succeeded on immortalizing both the raw reaction and emotion in that specific moment.
If given the chance, I would want to make a poem based the photos you’ve taken. Just like you, I love to immortalize emotions, but through words.
Cheers and keep it raw,
K.W.Villa
Thanks a lot for your kind words – and I’d be honored if you’d write a poem inspired by my photos!
Thanks for wandering through my very new blog and appreciating my post. I am always on the lookout for interesting art, photos, something with a good eye or an interesting perspective and you certainly have both. I may contact you again as I post my work. I like to pair art/photos with my poems, like pairing wine with food. It is a fun hobby.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment! Please feel free to drop me a line at any time – it’s always a pleasure to cooperate with other writers, photographers, filmmakers, …
Thanks for the like. I cannot wait to show your blog and photos to my sons in the morning. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot for stopping by! I hope your sons will like my blog. 🙂
That is an utterly fascinating reason to start a blog–not to mention a really different way to spend your free time! I wish you the best of luck in your exploration!
Thanks a lot! Usually I am really careful, especially since I am not in there for the thrills.
Intriguing subjects, a lively writing style, and incredible photographs! So glad you dropped by my “Randa Lane…” site, which is now predominantly devoted to haiku, tanka, and other short verse forms. Visit often and become a follower if my writing is to your liking!
Warm Regards,
-R-
just thought i’d visit a bit to thank you for liking my poem ‘summer us’ , encouragement from such a far away admirer somehow feels extra special….you made my day..ty.;-)
Thanks for dropping by “Honey.” We used to live in Japan. Your pictures make me want to go back for a visit.
What a brilliant site! Fascinating! Great photography too. Thanks for sharing it all!
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
Please tell a friend… all of your friends! 🙂
Beautiful blog. Thanks for sharing that with us. Nice work.
Thanks a lot, much appreciated!
welcome 🙂
Hi! Thanks for the like!! 🙂 great site, best of luck to you!
Thank you for the like, and for posting such amazing images and information!! Again another site I can use to plan an amazing vacation.
Hi Staci,
I can only recommend visiting the DPRK – it will definitely be a trip you won’t forget!
Great site! My husband and I live in Kansai and he always talks about wanting to get into Haikyo. We’ll definitely be looking to you for inspiration! 🙂
Hi Janelle,
Thanks a lot! Please say Hi to your husband, I hope he’ll have some good experiences going exploring… (Good ways to start are hikes, like the Fukuchiyama Railroad or the *Mount Atago Cable Car*.)
Cool, we recently got new hiking boots that need breaking in so we’ll look into that, thanks!
No problem, Janelle – for the Mount Atago Cable Car you will have to do additional research as two tunnels collapsed and you might not find the way back to the track otherwise. (You won’t get lost as there are plenty of hiking trails, but the cable car track is a bit hidden…)
Thanks for stopping by our blog and liking it. That gave me the opportunity to see your blog and some of the pictures. Amazing! I’ll be returning…Anita @ No Particular Place To Go
Amazing pics 🙂 I am glad you stopped by the blog and for liking it cos it inturn gave me the opportunity to see the lovely pics on your blog. Can’t wait to read more of your posts and mainly to see the pictures 😀
Thank you so much for your kind feedback – I hope you will like the urbex postings, too!
Will definitely do that 🙂
I love how you’ve laid out your photos! Thanks for checking out my blog as well.
Really unique site. I enjoyed reading it. I would love to go out exploring with you, one day.
Hey Chris,
Please feel free to drop me a line, if your travels ever lead you to Kansai! I’m usually quite busy (I guess no need to tell you after 14 years in this country…), but if schedules match I’d be happy to explore together.
hi florian,
thank you for liking my recent post and dropping by.
good to meet you.
a unique blog and content you have there.
wasn’t aware such places exist, with the scarcity of land these days.
keep up the good work.
very best regards,
kap
Brilliant stuff! Thank you for checking out my photographer’s blog also – all the best, Michael
Thanks a lot for stopping by, Michael!
Japan! Exploration! Pictures! Followed!
Abandoned Kansai has it all… 🙂
I hope you’ll enjoy my future postings and check out the old ones if you have time. The great thing about urbex photography is that the stuff doesn’t get out of date as it is a snapshot in time anyway.
Fantastic photography!! Thanks for your “like” which brought me to your excellent space!
Thanks a lot – I’m just a self-taught amateur with a passion for urban exploration…
That is inspiring to know for my own inner amateur photographer. I guess the passion is what’s important. Happy to have become aware of your work.
I am really happy to hear that! And good luck to your own inner amateur photographer! It can lead to the strangest things… (I just wrote an article for a Swedish Magazine – so soon I can claim that my work has been translated to Swedish… :))
Your projects are very interesting and pics are informative. Thank you for liking my poem “Forest Reserve.”
You have an amazing blog, I live in UK and have always dreamed of one day photographing Japan. I look forward to reading more of your blogs soon. Peace
Thanks a lot, Obi!
Japan is a wonderful country to take photos of – no matter if you are looking for stunning landscapes, modern architecture, places of historical importance… or abandoned places. 🙂
lol trust me I will one day get there and capture it all! 😀 Peace
Your site is deep and wise; it will take awhile to go through it all…Made four trips to Japan in the 1960’s and fell in love with the food not to mention the beauty…Sasebo Japan was the seed for one of my short stories; “Elmer Shoe and the Akadama Wine”…Glad you liked “Big Blue”…saailer
Hi David,
So you were one of the guys responsible for the invention / development of the Sasebo Burger? 🙂
I really love the area, too bad it takes me about six hours to get there…
But I am happy to hear that you like my blog – there is indeed plenty to see and some real gems are among the first articles, so I try to link back to them in current ones once in a while.
Thank you for liking my post. 🙂 I love your blog, it is fascinating, especially the amusement park.
A lot of people seem to be attracted by abandoned amusement park – and I am not much different in that regard. Sadly they are also pretty rare and rather dangerous to explore for many reasons, nevertheless I will write about another one soone; most likely either next week or the week after.
Florian, thank you for stopping by and liking my blog entry, “The Robin Drama” on my blog, I Say Missourah. My husband and I are huge fans of Japanese cinema and culture, and I look forward to seeing more of this fascinating part of Japan through your lens.
Kansas City struggles with the decay of many beautiful historic buildings. Maybe the time is coming soon to photographs them!
Thanks you for this visionary and inspiring blog.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you so much for your kind words! Urban exploration is getting more and more popular in Japan, there are even some dozen books about that topic available in rather average books stores and plenty more via Amazon Japan – but for some reason I find amateur photos, like mine, much more interesting. Probably because we focus on different things and our photos look “more real”.
If you get the chance to take some photos of decaying buildings in Kansas City I would love to see them!
Dear Florian!
Greetings from Shizuoka, Japan!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog at Shizuoka Pictures!
Actually my main blog is at http://shizuokagourmet.com/
I do happen to visit the Kansai Area regularly and I’m grateful for the information gathered at your blog!
All the best and looking forward to visiting and talking to you regularly!
Best regards,
Robert-Gilles
Hey Robert-Gilles,
I’ve never made it to Shizuoka, though I know the area is full of really interesting abandoned places. One day, one day… 🙂
Best wishes,
Florian
Florian, Thanks for stopping by phorenyatra. I will have lots more stuff coming up in the next few weeks, hope you will enjoy reading it.
You have got a pretty interesting theme to your blog. I was wondering if there was any reason why you chose ‘abandoned’ sites as a theme?
I chose abandoned sites as a theme, because 4 years ago, when I started this blog, there was no English speaking blog about urbex in Kansai. Most foreigners live in Kanto, the area around Tokyo, so a couple of them were blogging about locations there – but nobody took care of western Japan, so I filled the gap.
Thank you for discovering my photography blog http://www.throughharoldslens.com. You gave me the opportunity to discover, explore and follow your blog. Hope we both enjoy our journeys. On behalf of the Through Harold’s Lens Creative Team, my trusty sidekick Mr. SLR Nikon, his brother Mr. Pen Pal and myself, we wish you the best. Harold
amazing photos!
I have a ‘thing’ for old, abandoned things/places too, don’t have any photos of that on digital yet, it’s been a while since I’ve looked at any of this kind of thing myself,
thanks 😉
Thanks a lot for your kind words, Jill!
🙂
wow, i will definitely ask your advice my next trip to OSAKA / Kansai. i only been to Tokyo 10days and Mt Fuji 10days. It’s a beautiful country, the culture and scenery attracts me most. you are blessed to be there to see it daily 😀 cheers ! thx for liking my post 🙂 may i link your blog into mine ?
Hey Leesa,
It’s a blessing and a curse… 😉
And I prefer Kansai over Kanto at any day – life is a lot more relaxed here, cheaper too. Also, it’s the cultural origin of Japan, so there is so much to see and to do…
Hi Florian – thanks for popping by my site and liking a picture, you have some really interesting photos, naked doll with gas-mask for example – anything I photograph that has that kind of effect I have until now left off the blog, but may need to reconsider. Best P.
Hi Florian.
There is a strange magic lingering on abandoned places or things, don´t you agree? I like your work and I´ll be sure to come back and explore your blog a bit more.
Weiterhin viel Spaß auf deinen Entdeckungstouren.
Cheers,
Frances
Hi Frances,
Some of those places definitely have a very unique atmosphere. Some I would like to revisit, just for the sake of being there – sadly all of them are several hours away from where I live…
Vielen Dank,
Florian
Stumbled into your blog while looking for “Aboninatio desolationis”, which means “decay and neglect”, a subject very close to my necrophilic heart. Saw your notes on urbad decay. Appreciated. Thanks. My geographic specialization is different but here is my collection of post-apocalypses scenery: http://kandalaksha.su/category/subjects/photography-filming/abominatio-desolationis/
I’ve never been to Russia, but I’d love to go one day. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting trip!
Thank you Kansai for liking my post. Your photos are fascinating, especially of North Korea, thanks for sharing of a place we don’t see much of!
Hallo!
Ich bin jetzt grad nur durch Zufall über deinen Blog gestolpert und hab kurz mal drüber geschaut, aber wollt dich auch nur kurz wissen lassen, dass ich va die Photos superschön finde 🙂 Werd gleich noch ein wenig stöbern ^^
Alles Liebe! Vanessa
Vielen Dank für deine nette Nachricht, Vanessa! Ich hoffe, du hattest inzwischen noch viel Spaß hier auf Abandoned Kansai!
Keep up the great work – there’s definitely a book in all this! Across the Bored has nominated you for an Award at http://acrossthebored.com/2014/05/25/so-much-for-sunday-awards/. If you choose to accept, feel free to pass it along to other deserving bloggers! If not, know that your blog is well appreciated and a source of inspiration for us.
Thank you for stopping by Storyteller. — Ray
My pleasure! Thanks for subscribing – I hope I’ll be able to live up to the expectations!
What an exciting life you have! Thanks for checking out my blog!
From my point of view it’s actually not that exciting, but I am happy to hear that you enjoy my explorations!
Hi!
Amazing blog! 🙂
Still haven’t finished reading through all the locations.
I’m into urban exploring myself, but I’m still pretty new to Kansai,
so I couldn’t help wondering where you get all your information from?
Anyway, keep up the good work and stay safe!!
Thanks a lot, Manu!
I do tons of research, piecing together information to find locations. Some are easy, others take some time… Altogether I spent hundreds of hours locating all those places!
That must have been a lot of work! Well you probably get this a lot, but if you ever need someone to come along for exploring around Kansai, please let me know 🙂
Thank you for a look into the abandon homes in Japan. We are leaving in 4 weeks and I now have a vision of restoring an old folk house. I knew there were some but to know there are that many saddens my family and me. If you have any suggestions on a folk house in Kansai still needing a loving touch Please let us know. Any information would be greatly apperciated.
Best regards and thank you for the boost in confidence.
I’m afraid that I don’t know much about abandoned folk houses – you can see them everywhere in the countryside, but to find out who the owner is, you probably have to contact the local city hall or a real estate agent. Good luck! I’ve been to quite a few places that deserve to be preserved!
So happy to find your website. I love reading about abandoned places and look forward to exploring your stories.
Thank you very much for your kind words, Jennifer!
Hey Florian, eine spannende Seite hast Du hier, mit tollen Locations! Als Urbexerin bin ich bei meinen Recherchen auf Deine Seite gekommen. Deine Berichte sind gut geschrieben ☺. Viele Grüße und weiterhin viel Erfolg bei Deinen Abenteuern 😎!
Vielen Dank für deine netten Worte – und viel Spaß im Elsass!
You would must comes to Brazil visit some abandoned places.
My first suggestion: Abandoned Gurgel Motors factory:
http://www.gurgel800.com.br/publicacoes/oficinamecanica/212/index.php?
Glauber Gleidson Peres
São Paulo Brazil
I’d love to explore in Brazil… but as of now, I barely have enough time to explore in Japan, where I currently live. 😦