Exploring an ABANDONED Japanese Town - Fukushima / Urbex

Went to visit Futaba, Fukushima to explore a town that recently reopened that was formerly included in the restricted area following the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster.
Nikon Z5 with the 24-70 2.8 as my camera setup.
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[@RCT3Crashes100]

According to Wikipedia, Futaba is an area that the local government is actively trying to encourage people to return to - the train station's been rebuilt and service has been restarted to nearby towns, and an area of habitability has been established around the station where construction work is ongoing. This video's really cool, since it shows preserved damage from the 2011 tsunami which will presumably be demolished and rebuilt over time, giving a snapshot into areas that will probably look quite different in the years to come.

[@jamesford_jp]

Yep. I did get to see the train station, and it was quite nice-one of the nicest-looking stations I've seen in Japan. But yeah, it was empty, and the area around it remains mostly desolate. In some areas, there are pockets of new development where it seems some folks have returned, but they remain very few as of now. The nearby towns have rebuilt a lot though and are full of life again, so I imagine that Futaba will be the same before long, hopefully.

[@lukerainsford2401]

When you’ve seen enough horror movies to know that it’s best to avoid a random toy that’s making noise from an abandoned house🙄

[@jamesford_jp]

Hehe too true

[@marco_renard]

That noise was absolutely the creepiest

[@jamesford_jp]

I don’t want to know what it was and why it was playing…

[@marco_renard]

One of my favorite videos so far ! I've been heavily into Urbex here in France, but honestly nothing I've ever seen comes quite close to what is in that region. I'd absolutely love to see other video like this off the beaten path as you said. Some of these shots are insane, I really liked the gas station near the end. On a side note, I've started to plan a trip to Japan for next year. I suppose the only way to access that part of the region is by car ?

[@jamesford_jp]

Glad to hear! There are a lot of abandoned places all over the country with the rising depopulation and migration to the cities. In rural areas, you can often find abandoned homes and businesses if you know what to look for :) I’ll definitely be making more urbex videos, but I need to do some research first as they can sometimes be difficult to reach! As for going to Futaba… yeah, I think you’d need a car. The train line is operating, but the problem is that once you stray away from the train line. I think the street I showed in the first 10 mins is near the station, but everything else would require a car to reach.

[@marco_renard]

@@jamesford_jp Happy to hear that you'll be doing more of these ! Oh wow, I didn't expect the train line to reach that city, it seems very desolated. I guess they are going all in for the reconstruction and to encourage people to live there again. Well I'll guess I'll have to do some research on the countryside and that region too before I come !

[@jamesford_jp]

Best of luck :)

[@ColdCoffeePhotography]

Very good Urbex, would love to see some more like this please

[@jamesford_jp]

Glad to hear! I will definitely make some more urbex videos in the future when I have a chance :)

[@importedsausage5593]

super fascinating area :0 wow

[@jamesford_jp]

Yeah! It really is! :)

[@YuseiYGO1]

Hey there! I have always enjoyed your videos and always wanted to go visit Japan! Now that I have the chance to go to Japan, I was wondering if you can give me 6-10 spots in Tokyo that are worth street photographing! Unfortunately I only have 2 full days in Tokyo before I leave and explore to more ‘off the beaten path’ areas, and so i was wondering if you can help me making the best 2 days photo project in Tokyo! Hahahaha. What are some of the spots that can’t be missed? I have Ginza, Shibuya, and Tokyo Tower as my first 3 essential spots!

[@jamesford_jp]

Glad you’ve been enjoying them :) Hmmm well, that depends on what kind of things you like to photograph. Honestly, you can get off at just about any station and find interesting things or visit places I’ve shown in my videos. But let’s see… you could try going to Shimbashi for nightlife, Yanaka Ginza for a more old-town vibe, and perhaps visit Ueno either by day or night (night with rain is best). For more abstract compositions, Shiodome has a lot to offer as well. Hope that helps and best of luck with your trip.

[@NenadSapungin]

Nice you've got some great footage! Love watching your videos. New sub👍🏼out here supporting smaller channels like mine!

[@jamesford_jp]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)