33 Haunting Black And White Photos Of Japan's Ghost Island

Urban decay has never looked so beautifully eerie. Hashima Island, or Gunkanshima (meaning "Battleship Island," so nicknamed for it's nautical shape), was a former coal mining community established in 1887. The mine was shut down in 1974 and the city abandoned. Now it has a new nickname: Ghost Island.

Posted on November 22, 2011, 00:16 GMT

Gavon Laessig

BuzzFeed News Reporter

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