Admiring the decaying beauty of abandoned railroads is just one of myriad hobbies Japan's railway enthusiasts indulge in.
But fueled by a broadening appreciation for the subculture and growth in train travelers, these rusty remnants of industrialization are gathering new steam as tourist attractions while serving as a reminder of how rural depopulation is slowly killing off one of the oldest forms of public transportation in the nation's countryside.
The May issue of the bimonthly Tabi to Tetsudo (Travel and Railways) featured deserted railroads on its cover, a first since it was rebooted in 2011 under a new publisher.