Source: Ph stars - iStock
There are places that have a unique and particular charm and one of these is Hashima, better known as Gunkanjima or “Warship Island”, which stands fourteen kilometers off the coast of the city of Nagasaki.
A "mysterious" and at times even disturbing island, an echo of a now lost past, one of the most curious "ghost" destinations in Japan.
Hashima, the former coal mine on the sea
An uninhabited and ruined island, 480 meters long and 160 meters wide, Hashima once hosted about 5300 people, a prosperous community that is difficult to imagine today, among dilapidated buildings and wrecks destroyed by bad weather and the passing of the years.
In fact, it is a former coal mine: mining activity began at the end of the nineteenth century and, with the increase in production, the island experienced a period of expansion which made it necessary residential spaces for the miners and their families, shops, restaurants, schools, public toilet, a temple and a sanctuary.
However, around 1974 it was quickly abandoned: Energy needs had changed and coal mines were closed.
Thus, the island remained at the mercy of itself for a long time and, the continuous exposure to typhoons, further accelerated the deterioration process of the structures to the point of covering Hashima with a rather dark and controversial atmosphere.
Closed to the public, it could only be seen by tourist cruises that circumnavigated it.
Then, since 2009 something has changed: it has aroused the interest of those who love to discover buildings and ruins and, thanks to the construction of a new pier for boats, it has arrived opening up to tourism with organized tours and guided visits (the only way to reach Hashima).
But not only that: in 2015 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the dawn of a new era, i tours take place several times during the day departing from various points of the port of Nagasaki: the crossing lasts half an hour and it is important to keep in mind that it can be canceled in case of bad weather so it is better not to plan the trip in the winter months, in the rainy season or in that of typhoons.
Getting to know Hashima without landing
A highlight of a trip to Nagasaki and its surroundings, Hashima can be known up close even without setting foot there.
Yes, because those who don't want to go around the island can reach the southern end of Nagasaki and look carefully towards the horizon when the day is clear: with a bit of luck, it is not difficult to glimpse the flashes of the buildings abandoned and the light filtering through the windows.
Or, another possibility is to visit the Gunkanjima Digital Museum near the Oura church (also in Nagasaki): an innovative museum that allows you to take a real virtual journey on the island and acquire a lot of information thanks also to an installation that tells the concrete aspects of life on the "coal mine floating” with photographs and testimonies of those who worked there or spent their childhood there, each with their own opinion and unique memories.
Furthermore, there is no shortage of augmented reality tours in some areas of the island as they are today and a virtual journey along the mine as if it were still in operation.
