Bleak Scenes

Abandoned places, lesser-known attractions, and assorted oddities

Hokkaido Farmhouse

北海道の農家

I saw this abandoned farmhouse as I was exploring northern Hokkaido on a rainy day in 2014, and naturally stopped to explore it. Note that the roof has lost much of its metal cladding, so it no longer keeps out the rain.

The place was completely unsecured, so I had no trouble getting inside. As often happens in Japan, the owners had left most of their possesions behind, and nobody had thought them worth stealing. Rain water entering through the damaged roof and broken windows had caused extensive decay. I saw a rat in one of the rooms, but it scurried away before I could get a photograph.

The staircase was largely obstructed by assorted junk, so it was a bit awkward to get upstairs. The sliding door to one of the rooms had jammed shut, so I had to tear it off its rail. I was rewarded by an interesting scene of domestic decay.