'The Lost World': New book highlights Japan's abandoned rural spaces

Dutch photographer Maan Limburg's new book, "The Lost World," documents abandoned places around Japan. CNN Travel talks to the author about her journeys through the country.

(CNN) — Simply saying the word "Japan" can bring up images of manga, maid cafes and neon lights.

But for Dutch photographer Maan Limburg, Japan is a series of rural landscapes punctuated by empty houses.

Her photographs of these places -- from houses departed in the wake of natural disasters to closed-down theaters with the lights still cued up -- are now featured in a book, "The Lost World," which published in May.