When gold was found in the region of Nichitsu in 1600, the little village quickly became a town. In the 1930ies, zinc and iron were mined. So, a path from a village to a town was created. However, something unexpected happened. In 1978, the reefs ran dry. Unemployment increased and the people moved away as fast as they had come since the region didn’t offer any other infrastructure. The metals were crucial to survive, but the town bled to death like a human body.
What is very astonishing is the fact that the people left everything behind to leave as quickly as possible. There are still flats which are entirely furnished; and one might think that the citizens went on a short trip.
Everything is kept so well, because the province lacks money to knock down the buildings. Nichitsu became kind of a museum of the Japanese culture around 1978. Everything that was popular at that time is still there: old games consoles, men’s magazines, TVs and other entertainment stuff. If you want to see some old, Japanese retro-Walkman, just visit Nichitsu and explore the ghost town.
Unfortunately, you can only get there by car or by foot since all rail connections go past it. However, it’s really worth it to get there once.
Copyright and Source: http://www.kirainet.com/english/nichitsu-ghost-town/
