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Rokko Island: Photographer captures a utopian vision on a sparse island of Japan

In his intriguing series Rokko Island, London-based photographer Andy Donohoe documents an artificial island next to Kobe in the Kansai region of Japan.

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An empty storefront with turquoise framing and a sign reading "KOBE FASHION PLAZA" sits on a tiled street beside a bench and waste bin on Rokko Island, Japan

Reclaimed from the sea between 1973 and 1992, it was constructed as a utopian vision of the future, but due in part to the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 and the Japanese recession of the early '90s, the island is not fully populated.

Andy's project is a visual document of the time he spent there, lost in the dream-like concrete landscape. To discover more of his recent work, visit andydonohoe.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy and copyright of Andy Donohoe

A figure in red sits on a bench beside a waterway on Rokko Island, with manicured hedges, modernist buildings and trees behind them under bright sunlight
A woman stands in a sparse concrete plaza beneath a modern elevated building, surrounded by manicured trees and planters on Rokko Island
Modern concrete building with large glass frontage beside a sparse plaza and residential tower blocks on Rokko Island, Kobe, Japan
Concrete underpass on Rokko Island with a large cylindrical pillar, brick paving and lush green trees, a cyclist visible in the distance
Empty pedestrian pathway between white and black barriers with sparse vegetation and industrial structures on Rokko Island
A closed clinic with metal shutters on Rokko Island, fronted by hedges and a red no-parking sign under a modern apartment building
Modernist concrete building with a large number 4 on its wall, casting sharp shadows on a wooden deck, with green-clad railings and urban buildings visible beyond
An orange adult bicycle and pink children's bicycle parked against a weathered concrete wall beneath a dark metal pole on Rokko Island, Japan
Concrete staircase with metal railings leading upwards between grey brutalist buildings on Rokko Island, with vegetation and warning signs visible
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