10 Ghost Towns Reclaimed by Nature: Eerie Reminders of Vanished Lives

5. Hashima Island (Gunkanjima), Japan: Battleship Island's Concrete Bloom

Off the coast of Nagasaki, Hashima Island, or "Battleship Island" due to its shape, was once the most densely populated place on Earth, a coal-mining stronghold. Abandoned in 1974 when coal demand waned, its concrete high-rises and industrial structures are now eerily silent. Typhoons and the relentless salt spray have accelerated its decay, with walls crumbling and rebar exposed. Vines cling to every surface, transforming the stark concrete into a surreal, organic landscape where nature slowly reclaims this audacious human endeavor from the sea.