Cool ruins.

Gunkan-jima

There is an island named Gunkan-jima (warship island) off Kyushu, near Nagasaki. (it's real name is Hashima island) It earned its nick name because it looks like one viewing from afar.

The Mitsubishi corporation opened its coal mine operations in 1895 on this tiny island, which measures about 160 meter in width, 480 meter in length. Half the island was taken up by mining operation, leaving very very small space for living humans.

The peak population of 5300 was marked in the 1960s, and that population density was ten times that of Tokyo at that time. Given limitation and scarceness of space, it makes sense that the first steel-reinforced buildings in japan was built on this island in 1916. It was an apartment complex of 7 stories, and housed 145 families.

The mining operation closed in January 1974, and all inhabitants left the island by april 1974. Approximately 2200 were living on the island then.

All of this makes this island a mystifying and intriguing location for photo-shoot, and there are literally hundreds of photographs of Gunkan-jima available on the internet. Here are just a few that caught my eye: