Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Ghost Island, Hashima Island, Japan


Hashima (Gunkanjima) Island aka Battleship Island. Called so because of it's shape. Even in WWI American submarines thinking it was a battleship, bombed it.
In 1890 a coal mining company, Mitsubishi started to build factories on the island. And a concrete wall surround the island was made to protect it from hurricanes. Cement apartment buildings were built nine stories high with no elevators, or escalators. Stairs were built so steep that one was called the "Stairway to Hell". In 1959 the population density was the highest ever on record, 1,391 per city block. The whole island was at one time 6,000. With the replacement of coal with petroleum products the Hashima mines were closed. One author stated about the island, "Hashima is what the world will be like when we finish urbanizing and exploiting it a ghost planet spinning through space-silent, naked, and useless source."
As of April '09 it was opened to the public. As for hauntings? There must be stories. Plenty of them. It's just sitting there waiting for it's first paranormal investigation. We'll hear about it soon enough. You'll see!

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