FRIDAY SURPRISE: The eerie island of Gukanjima
Gukanjima ("Battleship"), also
known as Hashima ("Border") Island sits a mere 15 kilometers from
Nagasaki. It is one of 505 uninhabited islands of the Nagasaki
Prefecture - but it was not always that way.
In 1890, Japan's industrialization was just gaining steam, and they
needed coal to make that steam. Mitsubishi (yes, that Mitsubishi)
bought the island that year, with the intention of mining the coal
reserves that stretched beneath it. Mitsubishi built a city on the
tiny island (only 15 acres) that eventually housed an incredible
5300 people - giving it, for a time, the highest population density
on earth.
By the 1960s, coal had fallen out of favor around the world, and
Japan was no exception. They began shrinking operations at the
mines, and in 1974 closed the mines - and the island -
completely.
Today the empty city stands, its once-bustling buildings being
reclaimed by the force of wind and rain. Travel to the island is
prohibited, but some intrepid photographers have made the trip to
capture haunting images like these.
Wikipedia
entry for Hashima Island
Archibase photo esssay - superb B&W pictures of the
remains
History of Hashima Island
-=[ Grant
]=-