Hospital 1963 – Abandoned Hospital in Japan

Built in 1918, this hospital appears to have been abandoned since 1963, according to the last documents found on-site; in fact, the calendars still hanging on the walls all displayed that very date. Located in a small town along a busy road, we would have driven right past it without GPS coordinates; the vegetation camouflages it entirely, and the entrance gives no hint that a hospital stands there. Typical of old Japanese clinics and hospitals, the exterior looks like simple wooden houses—it’s only once inside that the building’s true purpose is revealed. Old vials, rusted surgical scissors, medical books, and a truly eerie operating table leave no doubt: we are in a hospital setting. The entire structure is dangerous; after nearly sixty years of neglect, the wood is extremely fragile and has already collapsed in several spots. Every step is taken meticulously to avoid falling through the floor, and the tripod is set down delicately—it is a game of measured movements. The preservation of such a place is remarkable, especially with that kitschy little television threatened by the floor giving way beneath it. Over the years, time itself is busy erasing the very existence of this place.