haikyo

There's an awesome subculture growing in Japan called haikyo or haikyo tourism. Folks go find abandoned buildings throughout (mostly rural) Japan and photograph them. There's been quite a market for picture books, perhaps because Japan's looming demographic crisis makes haikyo as a metaphor for the future seem not-so-fantastic.

One of the coolest websites is Haikyo Deflation Spiral. If nothing else it's fantastic source material for anyone making a postapocalyptic game!

There was a recent article on haikyo in Tokyo's english-language weekly Metropolis. Be aware that the link above changes every week, so you may have to Google for the article.