[Japan's First: Nationwide Abandoned Village Database Included!] The Definitive Book 'Haison Taizen' Compiling 28 Years of Research on Over 1,000 Abandoned Villages in Japan to be Released on April 24 (Fri).
Taiyoh Tosho Co., Ltd. will release 'Haison Taizen' on April 24, 2026. The book features a photo collection and Japan's first database of 1,000 abandoned villages, representing 28 years of research by expert Akio Asahara.
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Taiyoh Tosho Co., Ltd. will release "Haison Taizen" (Encyclopedia of Abandoned Villages), written by abandoned village expert Akio Asahara and edited by Kaoru Nakata, on Friday, April 24, 2026. This book is the definitive guide to abandoned villages, compiling carefully selected photographs of settlements from over 1,300 abandoned villages nationwide independently researched by the author over 28 years, along with Japan's first database of 1,000 locations in a single volume.
■ Local settlements disappearing in patches, like silkworms eating mulberry leaves
As the Reiwa era progresses, the nationwide increase in abandoned villages has become an unavoidable issue. Along with the author's earnest wish that these villages become uninhabited "in the best possible way," this book records the good old original landscapes of Japan that we want to preserve. Under the spirit of "learning from the past to understand the new," which states that knowing the past and present is essential for thinking about the future, this is an "assigned reading for Japanese people" to pass down the appearance and memories of abandoned villages to future generations.
■ An innovative double A-side structure with different faces for right-to-left and left-to-right reading
This book is bound with a different structure opening from the right and left so that readers can enjoy two aspects in one volume: a "photo collection/travelogue" and "reference materials."
[Main Volume] Opens from the right (192 pages): Introduces 60 carefully selected settlements that the author wants to share, along with many photographs that convey the local atmosphere.
[Reference Section] Opens from the left (64 pages): Contains a nationwide database of abandoned villages called "1000 Selected Abandoned Villages." Creating a database of 1,000 abandoned villages nationwide is the first attempt of its kind in Japan.
[Author Profile]
◉ Akio Asahara
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1962. Lives in Urawa-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. Representative of Team HEYANEKO and an expert on abandoned villages. In March 1981, he accidentally encountered an abandoned village in Kakumihama, Niigata Prefecture. He began full-scale research on abandoned villages in October 1999, and the number of abandoned villages he has investigated nationwide over the next 28 years exceeds 1,300. He continues his vigorous research activities as a transmitter of the fading memories of people who left their villages and a recorder of disappearing landscapes.
[Book Information]
Title: Haison Taizen
Author: Akio Asahara, Team HEYANEKO
Editor: Kaoru Nakata
Release Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Price: 2,530 yen (Base price 2,300 yen + tax)
Specifications: A5 size / Total 256 pages (Main volume 192 pages + Reference section 64 pages)
ISBN: 978-4-8130-7648-3 C0072
Publisher/Distributor: Taiyoh Tosho Co., Ltd.
Product Page URL: https://taiyohgroup.jp/book/guide/id005713/
■ Local settlements disappearing in patches, like silkworms eating mulberry leaves
As the Reiwa era progresses, the nationwide increase in abandoned villages has become an unavoidable issue. Along with the author's earnest wish that these villages become uninhabited "in the best possible way," this book records the good old original landscapes of Japan that we want to preserve. Under the spirit of "learning from the past to understand the new," which states that knowing the past and present is essential for thinking about the future, this is an "assigned reading for Japanese people" to pass down the appearance and memories of abandoned villages to future generations.
■ An innovative double A-side structure with different faces for right-to-left and left-to-right reading
This book is bound with a different structure opening from the right and left so that readers can enjoy two aspects in one volume: a "photo collection/travelogue" and "reference materials."
[Main Volume] Opens from the right (192 pages): Introduces 60 carefully selected settlements that the author wants to share, along with many photographs that convey the local atmosphere.
[Reference Section] Opens from the left (64 pages): Contains a nationwide database of abandoned villages called "1000 Selected Abandoned Villages." Creating a database of 1,000 abandoned villages nationwide is the first attempt of its kind in Japan.
[Author Profile]
◉ Akio Asahara
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1962. Lives in Urawa-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. Representative of Team HEYANEKO and an expert on abandoned villages. In March 1981, he accidentally encountered an abandoned village in Kakumihama, Niigata Prefecture. He began full-scale research on abandoned villages in October 1999, and the number of abandoned villages he has investigated nationwide over the next 28 years exceeds 1,300. He continues his vigorous research activities as a transmitter of the fading memories of people who left their villages and a recorder of disappearing landscapes.
[Book Information]
Title: Haison Taizen
Author: Akio Asahara, Team HEYANEKO
Editor: Kaoru Nakata
Release Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Price: 2,530 yen (Base price 2,300 yen + tax)
Specifications: A5 size / Total 256 pages (Main volume 192 pages + Reference section 64 pages)
ISBN: 978-4-8130-7648-3 C0072
Publisher/Distributor: Taiyoh Tosho Co., Ltd.
Product Page URL: https://taiyohgroup.jp/book/guide/id005713/