Entering the ground of an abandoned property is always a bit scary. Is it really abandoned? Is anyone going to report me as a robber? Or maybe aggressive dogs, nests or even a dangerous homeless person? But for me, the scariest is to discover a dead body. Every year, a lot of deceased people are found in houses, sometimes even to the knowing of their relatives who are keeping them virtually alive to cash their pension. But others were just alone, forgotten, and died on their bed peacefully. Before opening a door, my imagination always chimes in with a scary image but I guess that would help me to handle the situation better if there really was something. I had this feeling at Midori No Sono a few times.

Midori No Sono (みどりのその愛育園) is more than a house, it was actually the name of a little nursery ran by a very kind woman. Past the entrance, there were two little buildings, both of them looking like houses. The one on the right is very peculiar and it looks like a tree is growing through it.

The main house is on the left. The first floor was dedicated to the nursery. Many toys have been put away in boxes and with the tables and chairs it looked like a little school. There were also many musical instruments. She was definitely a melomane instructing music to all her kids.

The most amazing part is upstairs. It felt like we just entered a western house frozen in the middle of the 80’s. Many books such as dictionaries, encyclopedias and story books in English; an old LP player, European classical music, Greek sculptures… And fake flowers, which seemed a bit off considering the general atmosphere. The only element that was Japanese in this room was a cup of tea. This was the only token of life left after she passed away, in 1992. Still half-full, the tea became somehow denser with time. I wonder if she looked at her kind face one last time in this cup before leaving.

FACTS

• 1948-1992