Portrait of a female author standing against a brick wall, wearing a green jacket and grey shirt.

Sophia R.

Fukushima: The Worst Nuclear Disaster of the 21st Century

Three meltdowns, 154,000 evacuees, and ghost towns still frozen since 2011. Japan spent decades insisting Fukushima could never happen. What went wrong?

Read the Article

Fukushima: The Worst Nuclear Disaster of the 21st Century

Asia

Discover the hidden history of the East. From the killing fields of Cambodia to the neon-lit shadows of Tokyo, we document the region's ancient ruins and the modern scars of war.

Hong Kong: The Triad Shadows and the Ghost of the Walled City

Hong Kong: The Triad Shadows and the Ghost of the Walled City

Did you know the modern glitter of Hong Kong was built on a foundation of secret societies and shadow governments? For over a century, the Triads were Hong Kong's real government. Read the full story.

Portrait of a male author with glasses standing against a concrete wall, wearing a green shirt and jacket.

Ocean Flower Island: China's $12 Billion Ghost Town

Ocean Flower Island cost $12 billion to build on dead coral reefs. Its founder is in prison. Its politicians convicted. Now it's China's most expensive ghost town.

Aokigahara: The Haunted Forest at the Foot of Mount Fuji Where Myth and Death Merge

A 1,200-year-old forest grows on volcanic rock where compasses fail, sound vanishes, and Japan's oldest ghost stories were born. The true history of Aokigahara.

Portrait of a female author smiling in warm evening light on a city street.

Forest City, Malaysia: The Futuristic Ghost Town Rising from the Sea

Forest City was built for 700,000 people on destroyed seagrass in Malaysia. Only 9,000 live there. The $100B ghost town's full story.

Edward C.

Unit 731: The Deadliest Biological Weapons Program in History

Tragedies & Disasters

Unit 731: The Deadliest Biological Weapons Program in History

Inside Japan's secret WWII compound in Harbin where 12,000+ were killed in biological experiments — and the US deal that buried it.

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

Discover Aralsk-7, the secret Soviet lab that tested anthrax, plague, and smallpox on a vanishing Aral Sea island.

The Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery

Read about the mystery of the Ikh Khorig in Mongolia's Khentii Mountains, the forbidden zone protecting the lost tomb of Genghis Khan and the secrets of the Great Taboo.

Abbottabad: Inside the Fortress That Hid the World’s Most Wanted Man

Explore the definitive record of the Abbottabad compound. From the Black Hawk crash to the "Waziristan Mansion," discover why bin Laden hid in plain sight.

Edward C.

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Ruins of Civilizations

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Explore Masyaf Castle, the impregnable Syrian headquarters of the Assassins. A deep dive into Rashid al-Din Sinan, the "Old Man of the Mountain," and his war with Saladin.

Clara M.

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Ruins of Civilizations

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Discover the true history of Alamut Castle, the "Eagle's Nest" of the Assassins. Explore the myths of the Hashashin, the Mongol destruction, and the reality of the site today.

Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

An investigative record of Fukuoka’s Kudo-kai: The "specially dangerous" Yakuza syndicate that used rocket launchers and grenades to wage war on the Japanese state. Read the gritty chronicle of the war between the city of Fukuoka and the Kudo-kai.

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Explore the rise and fall of the Yakuza in Namba and Minami. A deep dive into the history, the 2011 exclusion laws, and the disappearing neon underworld of Osaka.

Edward C.

Fukushima: The Worst Nuclear Disaster of the 21st Century

Asia

Hong Kong: The Triad Shadows and the Ghost of the Walled City

Ocean Flower Island: China's $12 Billion Ghost Town

Aokigahara: The Haunted Forest at the Foot of Mount Fuji Where Myth and Death Merge

Forest City, Malaysia: The Futuristic Ghost Town Rising from the Sea

Unit 731: The Deadliest Biological Weapons Program in History

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

The Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery

Abbottabad: Inside the Fortress That Hid the World’s Most Wanted Man

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Beyond This Region

Africa

Asia

Australia & Oceania

Europe

North America

South America