Even though it’s only one building, Midori no Sono nursery school felt like two very separate haikyo: the possession filled rooms of the sadly deceased owner that were featured last time (photographs of which can be found here), and then the actual school itself.
Just like other abandoned schools, and in particular this incredibly preserved one up in the mountains, it’s the complete silence that was once again the most notable feature.
Clearly music practice was a regular occurrence, but it’s not anymore. And hasn’t been for many years.
So instruments that were once functional, as well as part of the furniture,
now look rather forlorn.
As do the chairs once used for that regular feature of school life, student photographs.
Although it’s probably fair to say that the students looked more uncomfortable then, than the seats do now.
Elsewhere, it was more of the same: Everyday items.
Traditional ornaments.
Memories.
And toys. All of them left behind.
Along with rooms that while full, seemed incredibly empty.
The only sign of (relatively?) recent life being these tracks in the kitchen; a flood having covered part of the ground floor with a now dry and cracked layer of mud.
But other than the unidentified beast, the place was pretty much completely untouched — presumably just as it was when the last of the teachers left.
A little over 20 years ago.
Excellent work! You must have enough material about abandoned buildings for a great book!
Thanks!
I’ve certainly got a lot of material. Fingers crossed I can continue to find more.
I love Japanese haikyo. My favorite is still Gunkanjima!
Great photos!
Cheers. I went there once but the water was too choppy and we couldn’t land…
Mario’s head in a box is a bit spooky!
Saying ‘Mario’s head’ certainly gives it a different dimension!
Great photo essay! I wonder what happened to the children, or indeed, whether the principal had family.
Cheers.
No idea if she had family or not, although there doesn’t seem to have been any husband or kids.
As for the students, the school is in a small, quite sleepy fishing town, so there may not have been that many of them left by the time it closed…
Kind of spooky, this one. It seems like a very personalized school. Unfortunate there aren’t more like that.
It is a shame, but then again, it does make finding one so intact all the more special.
Really atmospheric. I’ve enjoyed both these stories. Keep ‘em coming!!!
Thanks, I certainly hope to do.
Nice Shots!
The picture of a lady together with a child give a very sad feeling.
And, the dry and cracked layer of mud looked nice!!
Thanks Winnie. Yeah, I know what you mean about the photo. I found it strangely unsettling…
Thank you so much for the sharing your experience with us I love seeing some of these little pieces of history that are nestled in quiet areas around the world. I am also a little sad to see a place that, presumably, was once home to happy children with happy memories just tossed aside and forgotten. These places should be made into museums for travelers, at least some zip-lock bags for the photos so they don’t degrade so badly over time….
My pleasure. Glad you like it. They really are special places. Preserving them would be good, but at the same time, their deterioration over the years only adds to their atmosphere.