20 Haunting Images of Abandoned Japan

Japan is peppered with abandoned buildings and forgotten sites. Many of these haikyo (ruins) existed before the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. The magnitude 9.0 quake and the tsunami that followed caused massive destruction. Exclusion zones were set up in the wake of reactor meltdowns at the nuclear power plant complex in Fukushima. Today, many of these areas remain abandoned and off limits. They’re sad and surreal. We’ve included images from both before and after the earthquake.

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Nara Dreamland

Nara Dreamland is an abandoned theme park near Nara, Japan. It was modelled after Disneyland.

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Nara Dreamland

It was built in 1961 and closed in 2006, due to a lack of visitors.

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Nara Dreamland

Today Dreamland sits empty with weeds and plants slowly reclaiming the site. Not surprisingly Dreamland is very popular with urban explorers.

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Tomioka, Fukushima

The town of Tomioka is one of many towns that were evacuated after the nuclear disaster in 2011. More than 15,000 residents were forced out.

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Tomioka, Fukushima

Six years later the town, which is only 10 km from the power plant, remains empty due to contamination.

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Fukushima Bookstore

These pictures are from the exclusion zone near the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The haunting images show the what life is like now in the 20 km exclusion zone around the facility. This used to be a popular bookstore.

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Fukushima Bikes

These bicycles were abandoned after the 2011 disaster.

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Fukushima Motorcycle

This motorcycle was left behind, never to be ridden again.

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Fukushima Supermarket

This well-stocked supermarket was abandoned in 2011.

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Fukushima Supermarket

The products on the shelves have rotted away over the years. There are no humans, but there are spiders.

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Fukushima Piano

This piano and other musical instruments were left behind in the evacuation.

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Fukushima Restaurant

This restaurant table hasn't been touched in the years that have passed since nuclear disaster.

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Fukushima Televisions

A pile of radioactive televisions sit in Fukushima, awaiting destruction.

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Fukushima Gym

The floor of this abandoned school gym shows what happens to buildings that haven't been maintained for half a decade.

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Fukushima Cars

The radiation that was released in 2011 contaminated everything, including these cars.

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Fukushima Computers

Computer terminals sit unused and covered in bird droppings.

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Namie, Fukushima

This doll sits alone in the abandoned town of Namie, near the Fukushima complex.

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Hashima Island

There are some abandoned sites that you can easily visit without fear of contamination.

Hashima Island, near Nagasaki, is a former coal mine that was abandoned in 1974 when the coal ran out.

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Hashima Island

In 2009 the island was opened to tourists and in 2015 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, showcasing a chapter in Japan's industrial revolution.

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