Striking photos of disused locations across the globe, from derelict shipyards and military bases to colossal cooling towers and empty hotel resorts. When it comes to must-see buildings, some might think of the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal or St Paul's Cathedral. Yet for a certain breed of explorer, these famous landmarks hold little appeal.
Instead, their architectural wish-list includes lesser-known landmarks: abandoned factories, boarded-up amusement parks, uninhibited villages and desolate power plants. Urban Exploring – also known as Urbex – involves visiting abandoned and dilapidated buildings, places that are all but forgotten except for a small group of adventurers who purposefully seek them out. These buildings were once full of life – schools, theatres, holiday resorts, workplaces – but now sit empty, vegetation encroaching on their structures.
They're the kind of places you might see in video games. So it makes sense that one renowned Japanese video game creator is also a keen urban explorer herself. Ikumi Nakamura has been exploring abandoned and uninhabited places across the world for two decades.
A new book, Project UrbEx , chronicles her adventures, featuring incredible photographs of derelict, decaying and yet strangely beautiful locations. "My journey into urban exploration began with an abandoned hospital in the heart of Osaka, Japan," Nakamura tells the BBC. "The thrill of sneaking into the abandoned building, the rich history etched i.