Hidden
Best Abandoned Places in Japan (2015–2016)
Japan has many ruins, abandoned places, and ghost spots. Here are my favorite urbex locations in Japan for the past two years.
Luminous
Senmaida Rice Paddies in Shiroyone
Shiroyone Senmaida (白米の千枚田) has 1000 rice paddies in Shiroyone. Located on the Noto Peninsula, it's beautiful at night, with the lights on.
Wistful
The Giant Maple Tree of Oihara
It’s still early and I leave Tokyo before sunrise. I take the long tunnel and the Aqua-Line bridge to the other side of Tokyo Bay, then follow a small mountain road that loses me somewhere in the heart of Chiba prefecture.
Cinematic
Kawasaki Warehouse: Kowloon Walled City
Wandering along a Kawasaki avenue, ready for anything, I come across a mournful-looking building that’s impossible to ignore.
Dreamlike
Hannya-ji: The Cosmos Temple
Nara is very pretty with plenty of hidden corners to visit that I’ll try to help you discover. One of my autumn favourites is Hannya-ji Temple.
Haunting
Nara Dreamland: The End of a Dream
Nara Dreamland was an abandoned amusement park. I've just spent a year in Nara (2015-2016), a kilometre from the park, so it's time for me to write a little epilogue.
Some hiking
Fushimi Inari Shrine at Night
When the moon slowly rises... And the lights begin to reverberate with the rhythm of a poem...
Vibrant
Yoshinoyama, The Cherry-blossom Mountain
Mount Yoshino is the most famous sakura site in Japan. With more than 30,000 cherry trees covering the whole mountain, the very idea seems fantastic. But is this really the best site? To get off to a good start, here’s my favourite scene of the day.
Ethereal
Laputa Road
Did you enjoy the Studio Ghibli animation Castle in the Sky? Then you’ll fall under the spell of this part of Kyushu: the Laputa Road.
