For the reminder and textbook example of what the uncanny valley is when the feeling seems a vanishingly premium these days despite a slightly off-putting edge—via Everlasting Blört, we appreciated this photo essay revisiting an abandoned Old West-themed village in Japan. The roadside attraction grew out of modest ensemble known as the Kinugawa Family Ranch (ウエスタン村, in Tochigi prefecture near Tokyo) in 1973 and eventually hosted a population of animatronic denizens 
(see also here and here) but changing times and fortunes meant its eventual closure in 2006 with the installation ravaged by neglect and vandalism. Abandonment has of course dialled up the creepiness factor, making it look lie the set of a horror movie, and the remaining relics and ruins seem to be an apt commentary on the state of America and the desire to be a lawless cowboy.
synchronptica
one year ago: more Japanese family crests (with sychronopticæ), the founding of DOGE plus a particular kind of gluttony
twelve years ago: little apples of death, no photos of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel plus Cosmos reprised
thirteen years ago: illustrating the internet plus a sci-fi Groundhog Day
fourteen years ago: more thoughts on Groundhog Day
fifteen years ago: uprising in Egypt plus cobbling together a movement without social media
sixteen years ago: Iran against the world
