Gunkanjima (Hashima Island)
Some places have ghost towns. Nagasaki has a ghost island—the uninhabited Hashima Island. It’s referred to by locals as Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island, for its similar appearance to a warship when seen from a distance. Since 2009, tours have been running to the deserted mining island, undisturbed since residents abandoned their homes leaving everything from shoes to electronics to lesson-filled blackboards. Battleship IslandWalking around the crumbling grocery stores and peeking into children’s bedrooms covered with rust and weeds, it’s an eerie glimpse of the imprint of human life on our en...