Hashima Island is located about 40 minutes by boat from Nagasaki Port. This small island is an artificial undersea coal mining facility, created by land reclamation around a reef. It is nicknamed “Gunkanjima” (Battleship Island) due to its resemblance to the warship Tosa, a shape defined by its sea walls surrounding the entire island and its skyline of high-rise reinforced concrete apartment buildings.
At its peak in 1960, the island’s population reached approximately 5,300, giving it the highest population density recorded in Japan at that time. The community was fully equipped with elementary and junior high schools, a hospital, and various entertainment venues such as movie theaters and pachinko parlors, creating a self-contained community that provided for all aspects of daily life.
The coal from Hashima Island’s mine was of very high quality and, together with the adjacent Takashima coal mine, played a significant role in Japan’s modernization. However, as the country’s primary energy source shifted from coal to oil, the mines went into decline and were permanently closed in 1974. The island was subsequently abandoned, leaving former residents with feelings of sadness and nostalgia.
In 2009, restricted landing tours began, allowing visitors to walk through designated areas. Today, many people join these tours to observe the island’s abandoned structures.
In July 2015, Hashima Island was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining.”
