【Gunkanjima (Hashima Island)】Sightseeing spots in Nagasaki

Hashima Island, located about 40 minutes by boat from Nagasaki Port, is a small, man-made island created by reclaiming land around a reef for an undersea coal mine. The island, enclosed by seawalls with towering reinforced concrete buildings, earned the nickname “Gunkanjima” (Battleship Island) due to its resemblance to the battleship Tosa. At its peak in 1960, the island was home to approximately 5,300 residents, boasting the highest population density in Japan at the time. The island was fully equipped with facilities including an elementary and junior high school, a hospital, and entertainment amenities like a movie theater and a pachinko hall, allowing residents to fulfill all their needs without leaving the island.

The coal from the Hashima coal mine was of very high quality and, along with the adjacent Takashima coal mine, significantly contributed to Japan’s modernization. However, as the main energy source shifted from coal to oil, the island faced decline and the mine was closed in 1974. The inhabitants left the island with mixed feelings, turning it into an uninhabited island.

In 2009, the island was opened to the public, and now many people visit Gunkanjima through landing tours. In July 2015, it was officially registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining.”

To visit Gunkanjima, it is necessary to participate in a Gunkanjima landing tour operated by various shipping companies.
Departure times and fares differ by company, so please check their websites in advance for details.