After about a 50-minute boat ride from Nagasaki on Japan’s southern coast, you will arrive at Hashima Island. There are no residents here to talk to and nothing to buy. Just walk among the ruins of reinforced concrete.
About 50 years ago, this place was teeming with activity as coal was mined under the island. When the industry became obsolete, the Mitsubishi Corporation closed its mining operations. Listen now just to the wind passing through the empty buildings and the waves on the shore.
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island is reachable only on a boat tour from Nagasaki, but that is subject to weather conditions. If you’re able to land, the tour among the ruins lasts an hour, with the entire trip taking about 3 hours. The excursion is conducted in Japanese, but you can access translating devices and pamphlets. Learn primarily with your eyes from the scenes that are dramatic enough to explain themselves.
Hashima Island, also known as Battleship Island from its appearance from the water, and Gunkanjima in Japanese, has not had a pleasant history. Forced labor of workers captured from Korea and China was used in the mine and conditions were severe and exhausting.
At its height of production, the island had a population of 5,259 people as Japan forged ahead with industrialization in the late 19th century. The mine closed in 1974 as dependence turned to oil.
See the buildings that were once schools, stores, a hospital and a huge apartment complex known as Building 65. The island was featured in the James Bond movie Skyfall.
Travel to the 16-acre (6-hectare) island on one of a number of boat tours that leave from various ports in Nagasaki. Reach tour boat companies by tram. Find them at the Nagasaki Port Ferry Terminal and the Tokiwa Terminal. Note that Hashima Island tours have limited accessibility. Prepare yourself for the possibility of rough waters. The boat ride itself offers excellent views of the city.
Once on Hashima Island it’s mandatory to stay with the group, as the buildings are decaying and possibly dangerous.
