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It withers and withers

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Locked away

Some secrets are better left untold

Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

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Laundry soap and mildew

An old laundromat tucked away in a dim, half-abandoned market

Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

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The sound of silence

A strip of desolation and decay on a tropical island

Hagåtña, Guam

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Whispering vines

Current inhabitants in the once abandoned residence

Yokohama, Japan

[xyearsofsilencex]

Years of Silence

Haikyo means abandoned ruin in Japanese. Haikyo exploration in western culture is most commonly known as urbex. In recent years, photographers have published photo books compiled of beautiful haikyo scenery. As a result of such influence, the younger generation has shown interest in exploring these ancient ruins as a hobby. Haikyo exploration has become an art, developing its very own culture over the years.

I would say there are 2 types of haikyo in Japan - public facilities portraying a grand scale of beauty; homes, apartment complexes, stores, arcades, offering casual adventures on a smaller scale.

Large scale haikyo are scattered across the outskirts of Japan. Many of them depict an aftermath of the burst of the “bubble period” caused by the great economic recession. Countless resorts, hotels, and theme parks were closed and abandoned.

Smaller scale haikyo can be found in major cities. Even in the heart of Tokyo, tiny alleys and backstreets will always lead to something old, dark and intriguing.

My first encounter with the haikyo culture started from flipping through a Battleship Island photo book in a bookstore. Hashima Island, also known as Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) is an island off the coast of Nagasaki prefecture. It had once housed more than 5,000 residents who worked for the undersea coal mines around the island. After a major decline in the coal mining industry, workers and their residing families evacuated to the main island, leaving all their belongings and lifestyles behind.

In recent years, photographers have ventured through this abandoned island capturing scenes within the concrete apartment complexes. Even after all these years, the apartment rooms have each been left untouched, almost as if time had stopped in every home. You find a broken tv: you’ve probably never seen such an ancient model; you find a newspaper on the kitchen counter: it’s dated 1974.

Each haikyo tells a story. The lifestyles and memories of its former residents still float in the atmosphere, offering explorers a tale and vision of the past. There is so much beauty in this very aspect. Feeling the energy and emotions that each space posesses is an experience you can’t encounter elsewhere.