So im going to japan for vecation to tokyo and the regular places with family, but have an extra week alone in japan. I want to photograph old japanese rural villages as becouse im making a game inspired by run down abandoned japanese architecture.
We will arrive in tokyo for the first 5 days the travel to sendai where they will leave in sendai airport, so any sendai locations first if you could. Realisticly i will only have time to go to like 4 to 5 places as trecking to locations like this will take the whole day so the more unique the better.
I want to go specifically to:
\-Overgrown abadoned/mostly abandoned villages that are old architecture 30s-80s.
\-Any big temples that have been abandoned (similar to Yamadera Temple which im planning to go with family).
\-~~Any rural areas with many intresting supersticions.~~
Questions:
Will i need someone to accompany me for safety?
What emergency/comunication radio should i bring?
Any dangerous wild animals to look after?
2 comments
1. Let’s start with wild animals – if we are talking about outer edges of Kanto and Tohoku – Japanese black bears and wild boars may be of concern. The farther into Tohoku boondocks or mountains you go (Hachimantai, Tsugaru) – the higher likelihood of meeting them. Wild monkeys are also a possibility.
2. It should be noted that abandoned property is still private or corporate property and entering premises can result in trespassing charges. For that reason – I would heavily discourage looking for photo opportunities on Sanriku Coast or in the former exclusion zone, unless you are being accompanied by a local guide. Sites like abandoned mines (Osarizawa, Matsuo, Taro) are better with regard to not having someone calling police on you. For temples, Kanjizaio-in Ato in Hiraizumi is a good spot (and Hiraizumi as a whole is a gorgeous little town) and there are temples in the area. I would encourage you to just look at the map around areas you will be visiting, because you will find a lot of spots near depopulated villages.
3. The emergency communication: you will be not rescued from an abandoned town, period. Same as for closed hiking routes – the official policy is not to conduct rescue operations if you should have known better.
All those abandoned places are private or corporate property. Do not trespass.
Don’t step into places where bears live. They’ve become less afraid of people in recent years.