Talk Event "Abandoned Villages × Marginal New Towns Night!!" to be Held on May 17 (Sun) at Koenji Pundit: Discussing the Forefront of "Otherworlds" Spreading Across Japan's Land, from "Disappearing" Abandoned Villages to "Zombified" Marginal New Towns
A talk event titled "Abandoned Villages × Marginal New Towns Night!!" will be held on May 17 (Sunday) at Koenji Pundit, focusing on two types of "land demise" spreading across Japan: "disappearing abandoned villages" and "zombified marginal new towns." The event will discuss real estate issues, limitations of the legal system, and possibilities for regeneration.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 23:20
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■ Two "Deaths" Progressing Across Japan's Land
From the period of rapid economic growth to the bubble economy, Japan's land underwent significant transformation.
On one hand, there are "abandoned villages" with a history of good old communities, quietly returning to nature.
On the other hand, there are "marginal new towns" developed by clearing forests for speculative purposes, where infrastructure has now collapsed, and due to complex property rights, they cannot return to nature and are left neglected.
This event focuses on these contrasting "ways land dies."
Scattered settlements disappearing and dilapidated suburban residential areas. We will explore the underlying currents of these two seemingly different phenomena.
We will discuss social warnings such as Japan's real estate problems and the limitations of its legal system, as well as future possibilities for regeneration and reuse, such as self-building, off-grid living, and the creation of a "relationship population."
■ Speaker Introduction
Akio Asahara
Author of the new book "Haison Taizen" (Complete Guide to Abandoned Villages) (Taiyo Tosho). He has investigated abandoned villages nationwide for 28 years, creating a database of 1,000 locations.
He continues to record the memories of abandoned villages as Japan's original landscape.
Yusuke Yoshikawa
Author of the popular work "Genkai New Town: Dilapidated Suburban Residential Areas" (Tarojirosha Editas).
He personally walks through suburban residential areas left as relics of the bubble economy, deciphers land registries, and delves into the reality of their dilapidation and the darkness of the legal system.
His YouTube channel "Asset Value ZERO - Marginal New Town Exploration Log -," which he hosts, boasts 231,000 subscribers.
Moderator: Kaoru Nakata
Author of the "Ruins Book" series and editor of "DARKtoursim JAPAN," "Haikai Hon," and "Haison Taizen."
For many years, he has been involved in publishing planning and editing for urban peripheries and niche themes.
■ Talk Themes (Planned)
・"Beautiful Disappearance" and "Ugly Zombification": The contrast between abandoned villages returning to the soil and new towns that cannot return to the soil.
・Presence or Absence of "Earth Spirits" and Human Traces: The difference between villages with a history of community and spaces created solely by desire with no history.
・Verifying Showa's "Dream": The gap between the excessive advertising pamphlets of the time and the desolate reality of today.
・Possibilities for the Future: Freedom of self-building in marginal new towns, the role of "relationship population" in abandoned village regeneration, and practical applications for land regeneration and reuse.
■ Event Information
Event Name: Abandoned Villages × Marginal New Towns Night!!
Date: May 17, 2026 (Sunday) Doors open 18:00 / Start 18:30
Venue: Koenji Pundit (Fuji Building 2F, 3-8-12 Koenji Kita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo)
Price: Advance: 2,500 yen (1 drink extra) / At door: 3,000 yen (1 drink extra) / Streaming: 2,500 yen
With book: 2,200 yen + book price (*Authors can sign if desired)
■ Event Details
Koenji Pundit https://pundit.jp/products/2026p1-5-17
From the period of rapid economic growth to the bubble economy, Japan's land underwent significant transformation.
On one hand, there are "abandoned villages" with a history of good old communities, quietly returning to nature.
On the other hand, there are "marginal new towns" developed by clearing forests for speculative purposes, where infrastructure has now collapsed, and due to complex property rights, they cannot return to nature and are left neglected.
This event focuses on these contrasting "ways land dies."
Scattered settlements disappearing and dilapidated suburban residential areas. We will explore the underlying currents of these two seemingly different phenomena.
We will discuss social warnings such as Japan's real estate problems and the limitations of its legal system, as well as future possibilities for regeneration and reuse, such as self-building, off-grid living, and the creation of a "relationship population."
■ Speaker Introduction
Akio Asahara
Author of the new book "Haison Taizen" (Complete Guide to Abandoned Villages) (Taiyo Tosho). He has investigated abandoned villages nationwide for 28 years, creating a database of 1,000 locations.
He continues to record the memories of abandoned villages as Japan's original landscape.
Yusuke Yoshikawa
Author of the popular work "Genkai New Town: Dilapidated Suburban Residential Areas" (Tarojirosha Editas).
He personally walks through suburban residential areas left as relics of the bubble economy, deciphers land registries, and delves into the reality of their dilapidation and the darkness of the legal system.
His YouTube channel "Asset Value ZERO - Marginal New Town Exploration Log -," which he hosts, boasts 231,000 subscribers.
Moderator: Kaoru Nakata
Author of the "Ruins Book" series and editor of "DARKtoursim JAPAN," "Haikai Hon," and "Haison Taizen."
For many years, he has been involved in publishing planning and editing for urban peripheries and niche themes.
■ Talk Themes (Planned)
・"Beautiful Disappearance" and "Ugly Zombification": The contrast between abandoned villages returning to the soil and new towns that cannot return to the soil.
・Presence or Absence of "Earth Spirits" and Human Traces: The difference between villages with a history of community and spaces created solely by desire with no history.
・Verifying Showa's "Dream": The gap between the excessive advertising pamphlets of the time and the desolate reality of today.
・Possibilities for the Future: Freedom of self-building in marginal new towns, the role of "relationship population" in abandoned village regeneration, and practical applications for land regeneration and reuse.
■ Event Information
Event Name: Abandoned Villages × Marginal New Towns Night!!
Date: May 17, 2026 (Sunday) Doors open 18:00 / Start 18:30
Venue: Koenji Pundit (Fuji Building 2F, 3-8-12 Koenji Kita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo)
Price: Advance: 2,500 yen (1 drink extra) / At door: 3,000 yen (1 drink extra) / Streaming: 2,500 yen
With book: 2,200 yen + book price (*Authors can sign if desired)
■ Event Details
Koenji Pundit https://pundit.jp/products/2026p1-5-17