Haunting photographs of Nara Dreamland, a rotting Japanese theme park

Cory Doctorow 8:11 am Thu Feb 23, 2017

We love and celebrate the people who sneak into derelict themeparks and photograph their ruins! Beijing, Orlando, Sichuan, South Carolina, Japan, Berlin, New Orleans, even Walt Disney World!

So, from that widely traveled perspective, I hereby bring you Japan's Nara Dreamland, photographed shortly before its 2016 demolition by Parisian photographer Romain Veillon. Veillon spoke to CNN about his perspective on photographing ruins.

CNN: What do you think is the allure of photographs of abandoned places?

RV: When I encounter such places, my goal is to go on a trip through the past and allow viewers to make up whatever stories they want to along the way.

They can let their imaginations run wild as to why this place was abandoned, what happened to its owners, what used to happen in this room?

It brings out this inner child, letting your imagination run wild, and each… story is different from another, and that's what I love.

To me, my pictures act as a new kind of "Memento Mori"; they are here to remind us that everything has an end, and that we should enjoy it while it lasts.

Dreamland decay: The final moments of a forgotten theme park [Zahra Jamshed/CNN]

Drone filmmaker captures Children's Fairyland from the view of a flying fairy — and it's downright magical

There's still magic in the world, as evidenced by this fairy's-eye view of Children's Fairyland, that charming 70-year-old storybook theme park in Oakland, California. You might remember that when I'm… READ THE REST
This deck of wholesome activities inspires mini-adventures

We've been writing about Lea Redmond since 2009 here on Boing Boing. She's just one of those kind of people who consistently makes neat things — a real Happy Mutant!… READ THE REST
This house for sale in Pittsburgh is filled with whimsical themed rooms

Listed at $159,900 this 1,075 square-foot home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is bland on the outside but features rooms with outer space, submarine, tropical island, and moonbase motifs. The owners put… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST