Long-gone memories of the BE lab

The BE labs haikyo in Shizuoka is mis-representing itself somewhat by posing as a lab; at best it was a spa-resort for people who worked at a lab, somewhere far off and long ago. It sits in the crook of some distinctly un-Japanese rolling hills, looking rather like a bunker with its zig-zag concrete front-eave and fence-wires on the flat-slab roof.

Lukas had a good time mocking us on the entry to this ‘lab’. We pulled up in his little car (already damaged from a run-in with some steel fencing while looking for a now-demolished hospital) around mid-day, the clouds slinking gloomily overhead, sometimes hssing out a fine misty rain.

“What could this be?” mused Lukas, holding an old Aquarius bottle out before him, hand quizzically stroking his chin. “It seems so strange, and ghostly, I wonder what the history of it is?”

He stowed the ‘artifact’ and hurried off to inspect a pile of garbage by the side of the ruptured car park. “Look at this!” he enthused, holding up an old newspaper. “Where did all this stuff come from? What’s it doing here?”

Mike and I laughed.

It was Lukas’ first time on a haikyo, and he very graciously agreed to do all the driving (in his car), and charge us nothing for the pleasure. What a gentleman.

Inside the BE labs was an excellent run-down lobby, with a sunken ping-pong waiting area that let in a lot of irregularly dripping water. We split off to our explorations.

I went straight to the roof, where there was not much to see. I entertained myself tossing fallen branches onto the tin-rooves below, hoping I might ‘freak out’ Mike or Lukas as they were exploring. I didn’t hear any screams though, so assume I failed. Next time!

After that disappointment I worked my back down. In a second floor room I came across something quite astonishing- a brightly plumaged bird simply sitting on the inside windowsill, looking at me. I held my breath, needlessly changing my 50mm lens for an 18-50mm lens thinking I’d get a better zoom. Ha, of course the max on both is 50mm. With the zoom then maxed out (as it always was), I proceeded to zoom by foot, and the bird weirdly held its ground. Each step closer I took I thought- OK, he’s about to fly off, any second, any second.

But he didn’t. I was able to get right up into his face, snapping from virtually zero range, and he hardly budged. Only when I backed away slowly did he decide to take off, our photo session finished. Wow.

In a futon cupboard in one of the rooms there was a skull and skuzzy fur, from perhaps a crow or maybe a cat or dog. Back down in the lobby I bumped into a couple of old guys- they chatted at me in quick Japanese which I understood a fraction of. I think the older of the two either used to work at the ‘lab’ or take his holidays there. I tried to ask him a few questions about it but whatever he said in return I couldn’t really follow. Mike and Lukas both bumped into these chaps a little later- Mike comments on it humorously on his site here.

Things drew to a close fairly quickly, though Mike took the opportunity to tell me how I always ‘have to take longer than everyone else’ basking in the glow of a haikyo. Hmm, I suppose true. It just seems to me wrong to hurry through. Even after I’m done exploring and taking photos, I feel I should linger a bit longer, some weird way to ‘pay my respects’.