Welcome to Battleship Island!

Sitting around 2 Kilometers from the shore of Nagasaki lays an island that, from the right angle, resembles a battleship rising out of the waters. With its high walls and elevation in the middle, this island is called Hashima or too many Gunkanjima. Once home to around 4500, this island boasted the highest population density per square foot. On the island itself, there is now nothing more than the crumbling ruins of yesterday. It is an urban explorer’s paradise yet very inaccessible now.

There is a ferry available to take you to the island, however, you will see very little as the island is considered crumbling and very dangerous. The ferry does offer a glimpse into Hashima and its once-busy streets. It also offers beautiful panoramic photo opportunities. I have added some of my images below and hopefully, they give an idea of what this place looks like now.

The island has an array of old buildings ranging from a school with only elevators on the whole island, a shrine, a mine, a hospital, a pool, and much more. Once a very busy place where many resided on the island was now empty, bar the boats of tourists who flock to the south side. The purpose of the island was coal. Once owned by the Mitsubishi Corporation the discovery of coal on the island placed it at the center at aiding Japan’s Modernization.

The island has a high sea wall surrounding it adding to the resemblance of a ship, the island itself is at the mercy of nature. Kyushu itself usually takes the brunt of Typhoons coming across from mainland China. So Hashima also felt this over the years. It is said the people on the island would come together and watch the high waves of the Typhoons together. The island has also seen its fair share of earthquakes.

The island was abandoned in the 1970s once Japan decided to pull away from the use of fossil fuels and decided it wanted to pursue more renewable energy sources. So Hashima was left to face years of various attacks from Mother Nature. The shrine itself is no more. All that remains is the centerpiece for the deity. Many of the buildings have been damaged in some form. The island itself was only recently rediscovered.

Hashima at one point contributed massively to Japan’s coal production. The coal mine itself was vast and if you visit the Hashima museum I wrote about in an earlier blog it will provide more information on this. But if you are unable to come to Japan, there are many informative documentaries and videos on the island too that will give a rounded view of its past.

Today Hashima is a relic of a bygone era for all to see for the price of about 1500 yen. Even without the aid of a DSLR, my images of the island were stunning, and I am very happy to have had the chance to tick off an item on my Japan bucket list. Japan is full of many places that hold such rich and deep histories. I wish to discover more of these places and continue with the goal of seeing as many prefectures as I can.

Just like Hashima life is fleeting there is a poetic beauty in seeing things returning to nature.