Locations: Mayakan – the beautiful abandoned Japanese hotel マヤカン

摩耶観光ホテル a.k.a. マヤカン、Maya Hotel

This time I want to introduce you one of the most beautiful abandoned locations in Japan – the Mayakan Hotel! I have been shooting there for so many times, can’t even count them. This is one of the best locations I have seen in my life, I’m really in love with that place. Maya Kanko Hotel is an abandoned hotel, in the mountains of Kobe, and it’s prohibited to go there. It’s been working until 1994, and since then almost 20 years is still there in the mountain, without any maintenance. The first time it took me around 5 hours to just find it, but actually now I know how to get there much faster, and it only takes about an hour from the bottom of the mountain, if you know where you are going! Yeah, I mean it’s not that easy to go there, and it might be quite scary for people with weak hearts! You have to climb a mountain to get to the hotel, and that makes it even a more attractive destination! Well, this article is also a way to show-off some of my work taken at the abandoned hotel, so please enjoy! I have divided the photos into groups by where I have taken them in the hotel! 

この記事で私の大好きなロケを紹介します!まぁ、そこまでどうやって行くみたいな情報ではこの記事に入れないけど、ただ私がマヤカンでどんな写真を撮っているのを紹介しますね!もう何回ホテル行ってるか数えられないです。 マヤカン は日本のもっとも美しい廃墟のひとつだと思います!山のふもとからホテルまでは1時間前後かかりますが、そこに行く人は山登る格好で行った方がいいです!ほんとに、ハイキングコースなんでじゃないですよ!笑 マヤカンで撮影した写真はだいたい階と部屋によって、記事の中に分けてるので、ぜひ最後まで見てくださいね!一番したは屋上から撮影した写真と、マヤカンからみた夜景の写真もあります!屋上の背景はめっちゃ綺麗ですよ!まだ私でも撮影してないスポットはちょっとありますよ!一番好きな時間帯は夜中です!だから、終電で行って登ることが多いです!ホテルの中にカラーフィルター&ストロボで遊ぶのが楽しいです!

  • 外館 – The hotel seen from outside
  • 3階 – 額縁の部屋 – 3rd Floor Green Rooms
  • 3階 – 廊下 – 3rd Floor Corridor
  • 3階 – 大広間 – 3rd Floor Big Hall
  • 2階 – 宿泊部屋 – 2nd Floor Guest Rooms
  • 4階 – ホール – 4th Floor Big (Dance?) Hall
  • 4階 – 屋上 – 4th Floor Roof
  • 4階 – 廊下 – 4th Floor Corridor
  • 5階 – 階段 – 5th Floor Stairs
  • 屋上 – Roof
  • マヤカンから見た景色 – The view from Mayakan

外館, The Hotel from Outside

Let me start with a few shots taken from the outside of the hotel, this is how it looks by daytime, and at night, when I love most playing with strobes! 

まずは、外から撮影した写真何枚か、昼間も写真も夜中に撮影した写真もあります!夜中に特にストロボとカラーフィルターで遊ぶのが楽しいですよ!

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3階 – 額縁の部屋 – 3rd Floor Green rooms

Probably the most famous spot from the hotel! These rooms are maybe the signature location in the whole 6 floor building, and looks like everyone is shooting there first! To be honest the first time I went there I didn’t go in! 😉 Check some photos from there below! 

まずはホテルの一番有名なスポットかもしれない、まぁ、そこは誰でも撮ってると思いますね!正直に言えば一番最初にマヤカン行ったときにこの部屋は入らなかったですね!笑

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3階 – 廊下&広間 – 3rd Floor corridor and rooms

When you go in this is the first spot to enter! The whole atmosphere is really amazing! I often go there at night when it’s completely dark, and I usually recommend to anyone when they go in, to just turn all the lights off, and go in, proceeding to the windows if the 3rd floor without any light! A little by little your eyes get used to the darkness and you feel the place, and I really mean that! 

ホテルに入るときは階段上がって、まず3階から入ります!場所の雰囲気は素晴らしいです!で、夜中入ることが多いので、いつも一緒にいる人に言うことがあります。まず入るときはすべてライト&懐中電灯を消します!こわっ!って思うかもしれないけど、めっちゃ本気です!ライトつけたまま入ると、ただの壊れた建物にしか見えないけど、全部消して、少しずつ大広間のまどまでゆっくり進むとほんとに場所を感じます!目がだんだん慣れてくると、すごく気持ちいいです!

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3階 – 大広間 – 3rd Floor Big Hall

大広間でよくすべての荷物おいて、撮影準備します!広いから、ゆっくりできるし、撮影スポットとしても最高です!

Usually this is the first spot to go in the Mayakan hotel, leave all the stuff here and get ready for photoshoot! The big hall itself is an awesome location! 

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2階 – 宿泊部屋 – 2nd Floor Guest Rooms

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4階 – ホール – 4rd Floor Dance Hall

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4階 – 屋上 – 4th Floor Roof

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4階 – 廊下 – 4th Floor Corridor

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5階 – 階段 – 5th Floor Stairs

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屋上 – Roof

One of my favorite spots in the whole building is actually the roof! The view from there is so beautiful that I can enjoy it for hours! (Winter is too cold) It’s most beautiful in the night, and by sunrise when the sun is going out from the opposite side making it really beautiful view! I love shooting silhouettes there too! Check some of my portrait work on the roof below, and also some landscape photos as well! 

実はマヤカンの一番好きな撮影スポットは屋上です!一番上から見た景色が最高です!ただ、屋上にいるときに、午前9時以降にうろうろしたら、近くの駅の人に見られるので、怒られます!なるべく9時以降は屋上に行かないでください!上から見た夜景が最高です、そして、日の出もすごく綺麗です!夜から日の出まで屋上で撮影するのが好きです!屋上はシルエットなど撮るのにすごくいいところです!なぜかというと、邪魔するものはないです!

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マヤカンから見た景色 – The View seen from Mayakan

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In the end

Now, I am preparing a series of new articles on some general topics, let me know which one of them you want to see first, so I get it ready earlier! Also other ideas are welcome too! Here are some of them: Portraits at night / Lens article (I guess 135/2) / Portraits in the rain / Use of gels / Using backlight / One light setups / Shoots with just one umbrella / General shooting portraits / Can cheap lenses make good photos / Swing the camera shots / Using snoots / Shaped bokeh / … or any other idea welcome, post it in the comments, and I will see if I am able to write about it! Also stay tuned for my new blog section starting soon called “Strobist Diary” There I will talk about many of my off-camera flash techniques from basic things to some advanced stuff! 

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