Sunday, October 28, 2007

Gukanjima, Another Place You're Not Allowed to Visit


One of the seven wonders of forbidden exploration is the island of Gukanjima, which was abandoned suddenly in 1974 and has remained virtually untouched since, except by the elements. Wind, rain, and rot have given the place an apocalyptic beauty, most famously captured by photographer Saiga Yuji here.

5 comments:

Hilda said...

OHMYGOD! That is so cool! I checked it out in Wikipedia and read an article about it.

I would love to go and explore there.

You'd think with the overcrowding problems Japan has in its major cities, the government would encourage people to move there.

Adam Thornton said...

True, I don't know what the story is. Maybe it's just very expensive to sustain life there...fresh water, food, etc. Or maybe it's terribly polluted. But it does seem like unexploited living space!

Anonymous said...

That's just wild. I wonder why going there is prohibited? Imagine staying a couple days in a place where no-one's been for so many years...I'm not sure if it would be soothing or creepy.

Adam Thornton said...

It looks like people ARE still sneaking out there to take pictures...but I imagine they forbid access because everything's falling apart, and they don't want anybody crashing through a floor and then suing the island's owners. :)

Anonymous said...

Oooh, I LOVE that stuff. I could gladly spend the rest of my days photographing abandonments like those!