Old and decrepit Japanese buildings

[railsquid]

As mentioned previously, on earlier trips to Japan I seem to have spent less time photographing trains and related subjects, concentrating more on odd Japanese stuff, including old and unremarkable buildings like this:

 

p1010045 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Here's an album full of them: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129145651@N06/sets/72157670911917113

 

Technically not very good pictures, especially as it seems to have been overcast most days, but I suspect many are not there any more. Most of these pictures are from central Tokyo.

[bill937ca]

I find a lot of buildings in warmer climates seem to look worse than buildings in colder climates. I'm thinking of New Orleans and Lisbon.  Maybe these building owners don't have t contend with freeze and thaw cycles to the same degree. A lot of the damage may be water damage and that can be hard to trace and contain. I was in Toronto yesterday and saw nothing like this, but so much of Toronto is new condo buildings with their own faults but these are just not as visible.

[railsquid]

Climate plays less of a role, methinks; you could probably go to Hokkaido and find similar. Most of these buildings were not constructed to last, so there's no incentive to maintain them. There's a constant cycle of redevelopment so you'll see old end-of-life buildings mixed in with brand new ones. Sometimes, like the KFC branch on Aoyama-dori, you'll see structures on their own on large plots of empty land which will be redeveloped with larger buildings once all the original owners have sold up.

 

Anyway a different view of Japan/Tokyo :)

[velotrain]

My selections: an abandoned station - this could be Nantaru, a former industrial site, and the last one is more just a period photo - although the structures (and the ties) were decrepit even back then.

 

I have another one of an abandoned mining operation on the way to being totally overgrown, but couldn't track it down - I'll add it if I find it later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bikkuri bahn]

Velotrain, the first photo is of Minami Otaru Station, and it is still very active, with about 1700 passengers using it daily.

[velotrain]

Velotrain, the first photo is of Minami Otaru Station, and it is still very active, with about 1700 passengers using it daily.

 

At first I thought it was just downsized from a former larger station, but then it looked deserted - I guess the image was taken when no trains were scheduled.

 

Also - it looked like there was no window glass in the overpass, but that might be an optical effect.  Either that, or there never was any.

 

The track arrangement has been relatively recently changed - perhaps there was another platform at some point?

 

In any case, you have to admit it looks dilapidated, and could badly use some paint.  It's in marked contrast to pretty much all other images I've seen of spic-and-span Japanese stations - is it a relatively poor town?  The condition of it seems outright shocking compared to other (active) Japanese stations.

 

There's something very strange about it, especially the overpass.  I'm almost thinking that an original wood supporting foundation was later replaced with steel, without rebuilding the upper structure?  To my eyes, there's something quite odd about the whole complex - including how the entry structure emerges from the more recent building behind it.

 

Part of what makes me think it used to be a larger station are the very wide steps that can be seen through the windows of the entry - why would those be necessary for what is there now?  Also, why do boarding passengers go down those needlessly wide steps, and some 4-5 meters later need to climb up (much more narrow) steps to the overpass?

Edited September 23, 2016 by velotrain

[cteno4]

That's why modeling Japan rr is so much fun! Prototype for just about anything and many very interesting structures like this!

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

Minami Otaru Station

 

I became curious about this station, and poked around some - far short of real research.  I didn't find any smoking gun - which would be a photo with a second platform and a third track - although there must be a B&W image of this somewhere, but I think there is adequate circumstantial evidence to strongly suggest it had existed.  A photo from the opposite side shows what looks like the sloping frame for a stairway to track level just beyond the bank that the main structure is built on.  There are also remnants of a platform edge, and some images show a track there that stops just at the end of the station.  This would explain why the wide steps from the main building descend, and then shortly go up for the crossover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems likely that the connecting structure, which is primarily what seems so odd to me, was modified when this track / platform was removed from service.  It's possible that the third track was used for the Temiya freight line until 1985, when it was "abolished".  

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/南小樽駅

 

Japan Wiki has a quite extensive history, although I'd say that reference to other entries would be required to fully comprehend it - perhaps even if one reads Japanese.  It's very hard to tell from the poor Google translation.

 

This seems to be a key date:  April 15, 1958 : "Fully station building relocation. 以前は曙町踏切を挟んだ小樽側に位置していた。 Previously it was located in Otaru side across the Akebonocho railroad crossing."

 

One of the things I didn't understand was why the main building is mid-century "neo-classical - pseudo-modern", and looking like it serves a large town, while the overpass and platform seem to be more of a classic Showa style - and befitting a much smaller population.    

 

I'm guessing the main building was built at the time of the move in 1958, but almost wonder if the other components were brought over from the old location - with a new steel support added under the overpass.  However, I suppose it's possible these were also built in 1958, and just look so aged due to a lack of maintenance - and paint.

 

I also found some interior images, including the wide stairs and the steps down to track level from the overpass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[railsquid]

 

One of the things I didn't understand was why the main building is mid-century "neo-classical - pseudo-modern", and looking like it serves a large town, while the overpass and platform seem to be more of a classic Showa style - and befitting a much smaller population.    

 

I'm guessing the main building was built at the time of the move in 1958, but almost wonder if the other components were brought over from the old location - with a new steel support added under the overpass.  However, I suppose it's possible these were also built in 1958, and just look so aged due to a lack of maintenance - and paint.

 

I also found some interior images, including the wide stairs and the steps down to track level from the overpass.

 

 

 

This is Otaru station, the main station serving Otaru. This is Minami-Otaru station building:

 

[velotrain]

OK - images of it came up when I searched for Minami-Otaru.

 

However, that looks much more in keeping with the rest of the station ;-)

Edited September 24, 2016 by velotrain

[kvp]

From the metal supports, it looks like the side platform had steps coming down from the bottom of the wide stairs, with the bridge going up from this junction. The side platforms seems to have served a larger crowd. During the removal of the track and platform, the stairs were removed and the hole boarded up. The structure seems to be in line with smaller 1930-1950ies japanese railroad buildings. (metal frame, wooden cover) Just my 5 cents...

[velotrain]

I found the images of two industries going green.

 

 

 

 

[JR 500系]

I like how the older buildings are mildly integrated into the bustling modern metropolis Japan is.. It's nice to be nostalgic once in a while... Here, we only have modern modern modern... Anything that's too old needs to go...

[westfalen]

Plenty of old buildings in Otaru around the port area.

 

No need to go too far off the beaten track, saw this place while walking back to Kyoto station from the museum. I'm guessing it may have been a restaraunt once.

 

Also in Kyoto, these stairs leading up to the Omiya Dori overpass caught our eye with the rather grand looking central staircase.  Perhaps they lead up to a tram stop in earlier years.

[Kiha66]

I recall seeing quite a few decrepit and abandoned buildings in rural Kyushu last summer, including a whole neighborhood that had been swallowed up by the jungle in the mountains near Sasebo.  Okinawa also had a few run-down locals, including some ancient decaying shopping arcades hidden behind the main streets.  I'll try to find some of the photos I took, wish I had taken more while I had the chance.

Edit: I found a picture of the abandoned ?radio station? above the abandoned neighborhood near Sasebo.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Kiha66

[mrp]

Is this the same overpass before they "modernized" it? 

 

 

Edit: I should mention - the photo is linked at the bottom of the wikipedia page (no.14).

Edited September 24, 2016 by mrp