Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2012

NAME

The Royal House

LOCATION

Secret (as promised to the person who shared it with me).

BACKGROUND

This abandoned house is a place full of stories, which has ended up a victim of its own fame.

The house was originally bought by a English gentleman and his Japanese wife, as a present to her mother. The family seems to have had quite a lot of fun there—a happy house it must have been.

My first visit was in 2010, when this haikyo was still newly discovered. During these two years, with the stories spreading further and further, the state of the house has deteriorated incredibly. The house has shouldered too much history alone for too long. Maybe it’s the right time to let natural decay put an end to it all.

ACCESS

In the middle of the woods and the mountains.
A picturesque waterfall can be found in the same area, and it’s
also a fine spot for autumn leaves.

SOURCE

Photos by Jordy Meow and text by Jing Meow.
The Royal House: “華麗なる一族” and
The Royal House: A Journey to the Past on Totoro Times.