Karuizawa, Japan

Owner @underground_cava posted these two cool timelapse videos to Instagram 102322. They were shot back at the time they were disassembling the unit in preparation for their restoration project.

Based on these photos showing this Futuro in a disassembled state that were posted to Instagram by @tarukovsky 070222 we can only assume that either the unit is being relocated (and presumably sold) or that it has been disassembled in order to take it somewhere to be restored/refurbished and then returned to the same site. The original photos can be found on Instagram here.

If anyone knows what is going on we would love to hear from you.

TheVictorianK recently contacted us to discuss a video they were producing about this Futuro. This video, titled «Exploring Abandoned Japan: The Futuro House» is the end result; we rather like it. In particular the use of interior photos transposed to recent ones is very effective and interesting.

This video, published to Youtube 123119 by Tansaku Morimori, includes some nice interior and exterior footage of this Futuro along with some exterior footage of the Maebashi Futuro.

Based on Matti Suuronen’s Futuro CV we know that two Polykem manufactured Futuros were exported to Japan in the 1970’s; it was thought likely until recently that those units were installed in Yokohama and Karuizawa (though there has never been any real evidence we have seen to support the reports that one was installed in Yokohama).

Then, in the 061519 update to this page we added historical information pertaining to both the Japanese Futuros based on some great research by Michael Gakuran (whi

The urban exploration community seems to have latched onto this Futuro for the moment. This video is one of several that have started to appear; it was published to Youtube by Exploring With Josh on 101319.

This video popped up on Youtube recently, our thanks to Greg for the «heads up». The video is by Exploring with Fighters and was added to Youtube 100519. The commentary seems to be somewhat «tongue in cheek» and we do not learn anything new but there is great footage of the Futuro, both exterior and interior.

Michael Gakuran runs, among other websites, gakuran.com which he describes as «tell(ing) stories of (his) adventures, ruins (haikyo) explorations as well as writing about Japan and the Japanese culture».

On 052119 Michael published an excellent article on the two Japanese Futuro Houses (this one and the one in Maebashi) titled «Space Oddity: Japan’s Lost Futuro House». We had corresponded a little with Michael as he was researching the article and his immersion in the Japanese culture, ability

Matti Suuronen’s Futuro CV (see the «Finnish 20») indicates that two Futuros manufactured by Polykem were exported to Japan. These Futuros were, to the best of our knowledge, installed in Yokohama and Karuizawa.

The current locations of the these two Futuros has to date been unclear. One was almost certainly the Futuro now located at the Felicia Academy in Maebashi but until now it was unclear which one and there is evidence the one installed in Karuizawa was still there until 2001 based on a «