Japanese Ghost Island

I'm sure you've heard of ghost towns, but have you ever heard of Gunkanjima, the abandoned island-city off the coast of Japan?

In the 1890's, the island was purchased by Mitsubishi to mine coal. Over the decades, a tiny metropolis grew to over 5,000 people, which to this day holds the record for the highest population density of all time. The island was a self-sustaining community complete with shops, churches, theaters, playgrounds, and over 30 apartment complexes. The only contact with the outside world was for food drops (does this remind anyone else of the Island and the Dharma Initiative in Lost???).

Gunkanjima was abandoned in the 1970's when petroleum replaced coal as the world's primary energy source. Today it lies in ruins, a silent walled city on the sea. It's probably the creepiest place on Earth.

Want to explore the island? This gallery gives you a peak in black and white, which makes it even more bizarre, while this one has a more detailed description along with color.

America has its own share of ghost towns, the weirdest one being Bodie, California. Even South Carolina has a few, including Andersonville, which is now at the bottom of Lake Hartwell.

What I'm listening to on Pandora: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson