From the snowy mountains of Hokkaido down to the southern tropics of Okinawa, these modern ruins or, ‘haikyo’, provide a paused and romantically silent contrast to a country known for the brightness, sound and movement that swells in so many of its thriving metropolises.  

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With many spaces now demolished, these visual fragments document what is now an erased moment in the process of Japans urban evolution.  All culturally significant, each photograph is a platform where the observer can reflect upon this resilient countries hidden journey from permanence to disposability, composition to decomposition and construction to deconstruction. 

 

Images from this body of work are available via Shane Thoms's book, 'Haikyo: The Modern Ruins of Japan', available on Amazon and in most book stores.

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Works exhibited at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins from 8th December 2016 to 28th February 2017 and August 2017 at Gallery 1616 Osaka, Japan

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