In ghostly Japan

Travelling in Japan can take one to tourist ghost towns such as Yugawara, near the Izu peninsula. Once a favourite spot for onsen (hotspring) lovers, it is now almost deserted by tourists, even in the high season such as Golden Week. There is something melancholic about the place, with its strange juxtaposition of decaying traditional buildings and 1960-70s concrete. It was also a place much loved by writers, and Natsume Sôseki is said to have set his last unfinished work Meian (Light and Darkness) there. Walking up the main street alongside the noisy mountain river (whose name I could not find) felt like travelling in a parallel world occupied by the ghosts of long gone tourists. Apologies to Lafcadio Hearn for borrowing the title of one of his books.
Lots of thanks to Rodolphe and Hideko for taking us on this beautiful trip.

A large ryokan abandoned since ~10 years ago. A vigorous wisteria covers the bus shelter seen in the foreground.

The main street of Yugawara up the mountain, a couple of kilometers west of the train station.

Back to the 1970s. The mountain stream (left) seems to be the only thing alive.

Decaying traditional houses.

A red carpark overgrown with vegetation looks like a strange tori. 

The decaying and the ugly.

Back to reality: the Fujitaya Ryokan, a traditional but certainly not decaying building. This is a beautiful place to stay.