[muppet]

Photos thanks to www.ne.jp, http://www.ne.jp/asahi/saiga/yuji/gallary/1974/top.html


The abandoned Gunkanjima, (Battleship Island), once home to 1,391 people per hectare on the built up district, or 139,100 per sq km, the highest concentration of people ever recorded - over 3x Hong Kong's Walled City.


1974, the last year before it was abandoned:

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3981/gunkex9.jpg http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/5624/gunk3qi3.jpg

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2865/gunk4pu9.jpg http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3848/gunk2lv8.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1029/gunk5kd4.jpg http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/1584/gunk6pt6.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/788/gunk8sv4.jpg http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6167/gunk7hs4.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/8521/gunk9jf2.jpg http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/6251/gunk11wq2.jpg

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/1589/gunk10te3.jpg



...and 30 years later the photographer revisited...



Silent Hill anyone?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2434678634_76dd210982.jpg?v=0



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2434674810_bd1fed3ccb.jpg?v=0 http://www.japanphotostock.com/data/media/38/40423-611.jpg

http://elbauldejosete.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/9-f.jpg


http://www.yardwear.net/blog/content/binary/hashimaislandcentral.jpg http://cuaderno.tigdstudio.it/uploaded_images/city-726055.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/138897956_f3ae6d5ffd.jpg?v=0 http://www.jp-hit.com/picture/image2/gunkanjima/0081.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Hashima076.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/listverse/abandoned/gunkanjima/g3.jpg


http://babesmedia.entertainment.ign.com/babes/image/article/700/700476/jesss-blog-pics-20060606043049886.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/36/104905418_63e2f5ba1b.jpg http://www.arkitera.com/UserFiles/Image/news/2008/08/22/gunkanjima_rossmcdermott.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/549/shave2cl6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/shave2cl6.jpg/1/w434.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img388/shave2cl6.jpg/1/)

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/135/shootlb0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/shootlb0.jpg/1/w436.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img371/shootlb0.jpg/1/)

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/7541/shootjr1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/shootjr1.jpg/1/w595.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img516/shootjr1.jpg/1/) http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/2980/shaveph1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/shaveph1.jpg/1/w607.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img388/shaveph1.jpg/1/)

http://photos.jpgmag.com/73057_27793_d022abd4e7_l.jpg http://www.unbsj.ca/arts/english/jones/mt/images/seats.gif

It is also known as Ghost Island.

[staff]

From Wikipedia, for those who don't know the place;

Hashima Island (端島; meaning "Border Island"), commonly called Gunkanjima (軍艦島; meaning "Battleship Island") is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It has been administered as part of Nagasaki, Nagasaki since 2005, it had previously been administered by the former town of Takashima.

"Battleship Island" is an English translation of the Japanese nickname for Hashima Island, Gunkanjima. The island's nickname came from its apparent resemblance to a battleship, or gunkan (jima is a mutation of shima) due to its high sea-walls. It also is known as the Ghost Island. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km^2) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km^2) for the residential district, the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it's called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited.

Singer-songwriter Okazaki Ritsuko was born on Hashima Island, and sound artist Mika Björklund's latest project is dedicated to it.

[SJPhillyBoy]

Wow. It actaully looks so cool and tranquil in it's solitude. Apocolypse now. It would be great, but eery to meander through the island and it's structures.

[muppet]

Thanx Staffy

[mhays]

Hong Kong has neighborhoods that dense even today. I can't speak for the Walled City, but I think it was 50,000 in 20 acres or something rediculous like that.

Yes this place was denser than Hong Kong's urban areas on average, but not its peak locations.

[Metro-One]

They should film movies there! I want to go!

[JMancuso]

i hope the japanese government leaves this island alone and let nature run its course. an interesting test case to see how nature reclaims human development.

[muppet]

yep, as in Staffs post, travel to the island is currently prohibited

[bnk]

15 min narrated video of a visit to the Island with english subtitles

http://www.videosift.com/video/Abandoned-Japanese-Island

[photolitherland]

I hope they dont tear all of those buildings down. It would be cool to see how long it would take for nature to totally reclaim the island. Kinda like a science experiment or something.

[Top Of The Park]

facinating

[BnaBreaker]

Incredible. I've never heard of this place before.

[Jibba]

Wow. That place is creepy. And oddly beautiful in its current form of desolation.

[PA Pride]

That would be a good place to go camping or have a big dance party.

[flar]

Now that's really interesting.

[MolsonExport]

Interesting place for sure. But it did not come close to the walled city of kowloon in density:

Walled city of Kowloon: At that time, it had 50,000 inhabitants on 0.026 km², and therefore a very high population density of 1,923,077/km², making it one of the most densely populated urban areas on Earth.[

[urbanfan89]

i hope the japanese government leaves this island alone and let nature run its course. an interesting test case to see how nature reclaims human development.

There's Pripyat in northern Ukraine, which was abandoned overnight in 1986 when the nearby nuclear power station blew up. You should check the photos of it. It's unreal.

[WonderlandPark]

This place has been on the urban explorer radar for years. This is #1 place I would love to go (alongside with Pripyat, the town at Chernobyl). It is patrolled by the Japan coast guard and very, very difficult to explore. But I would love to see it.

It is also known as Battleship Island.

Well, at least I got to explore Michigan Central Station recently, that was also high on my list and highly recommended to any of you urban explorers out there.

[lakegz]

THAT's the name of it. I always tell people about this place but can never remember its japanese name. I better remember it this time. thanks for the pics.

[SLO]

Looks like Alcatraz

[SpongeG]

I hope they dont tear all of those buildings down. It would be cool to see how long it would take for nature to totally reclaim the island. Kinda like a science experiment or something.

just like that discovery channel TV special about what would happen if humans disappeared and how long it would take for things to revert tonature etc

[initiald]

I love learning about places like this. Thanks!

[JDRCRASH]

Looks just like Alcatraz, but more built up.

[olga]

Wow, amazing! Never heard of it before, thanks!!

[Cirrus]

Golly.

[rockyi]

It would be so much fun to explore.

[theWatusi]

bitchen...i wanna go