On the dark-side of Fuji-san, a village with 200-year-old thatched-roof buildings was abandoned in the 1970s. In one of the remote and largely intact houses, hanging from the shredded shoji, in a living room full of bear- and tanuki-tossed futons and shredded straw mattresses, hangs a 1972 Nissan Sunny dealer calendar.
In exploring abandoned Japan, we often come across calendars and newspapers, and use their dates to gain an estimate on how long the places we visit have been left untouched.
This calendar is special though, not only because of its condition, but because it has a full twelve months of period goodness — from January through to December — indicating perhaps a new-year’s abandonment.
While Nissan fans are sure to enjoy its content, it also offers a view on 1970s style, and advertising’s perspective on influences for small car buyers in Japan.
One of the thatched-roof houses further down the valley under government-sponsored restoration, though we are quite sure the 1970s televisions, kitchens, and living room Nissan calendars will be gomi and not part of the renovations. Pity, as they are as much a part of Japanese history, as anything else.
Skorj is a photographer/journalist living in Japan. You can see more of his work at Magnesium Photos.
Awesome post, Skorj. I wouldn’t have set foot in that house though. It looks straight outta The Ring!
The one room looks like it came from that anime movie ” Spirited Away”.
Skorj you are a courageous person. (Very cool calendar though.)
those cars (in case a body doesn’t recognize them) are all a model of nissan sunny (b110 & pb110 chassis)
so i guess the title should be “1972 nissan sunny calendar …” ?
I recall Ben posting about this earlier this year. Cool calendar.
Skorj, have you been back to the house since then? Kind of curious if the calendar is still there, or if you may have salvaged it for historical sake (before it does wind up in the gomi pile)?
This is fantastic. Any chance of higher resolution scans?
I wonder how, in such a famously crowded county, this village suddenly was abandoned.
Is it possible to have acid flashbacks when you’ve never dropped acid? That lady in the green puddle is freaky!
Lol, Levi. It truly is like The Ring.
I did indeed discover the calendar earlier this year, but only took one general photograph of the room. So off on Thursday for another shoot, we decided to call past and see if it was still there and photograph all the pages. It will unfortunately stay there until gomied, or until an English teacher steals it.
The page title too clearly says ‘Nissan Sunny’, so I should have picked that in writing the piece!
For more on abandoned Japan – including the varied reasons – click my name above, and perhaps http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/blog/2010/05/19/the-abandoned-cars-of-ageo-bedroom-town/.
As for being scared, most abandoned places here have a serene feeling, and provide a sense of relaxation & well-being. Only one place in many years have we felt concerned about spirits, and that was an abandoned hospice in the middle of nowhere with small skeletons on the floor – the resident bats flying about did not help… Arigato.
That last bit about the hospice…wow.
Back to automobilia, Yeah, it’s nice BUT why twelve months of coupes and four-door sedans- where’s the two-door? The wagons? The sanitora?
Where in Yamanashi was this?
I’m an aussie living in Kofu