23 Places Where Nature Has Reclaimed Abandoned Cities

3. Hashima Island, Japan: The Ghostly Remnants of Industry

Hashima Island, also known as Gunkanjima or Battleship Island, is a stark reminder of nature's ability to reclaim even the most industrialized landscapes. Located off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan, Hashima was once a thriving coal mining facility, home to thousands of workers and their families. Abandoned in the 1970s when the coal ran out, the island's concrete structures have since been overtaken by vegetation. Trees and shrubs grow in the most unlikely places, sprouting from cracks in the pavement and atop crumbling buildings. The island's eerie silence is punctuated only by the sound of the wind and the occasional call of seabirds. Hashima's transformation from a bustling industrial hub to a ghostly ruin overgrown with greenery highlights the transient nature of human industry and the enduring strength of the natural world.