On New Year's Day this year, I landed on the island in Nagasaki commonly called, 'Gunkanjima, the Battleship Island'.
The official name of this island is Hashima. Visitors are not allowed to explore freely due to safety reasons; uninhabited for forty years since the closure of Hashima Coal Mines, the buildings on the island have been damaged by exposure to the elements and can collapse anytime! Only three areas on the south side of the island are open to the public. Still, you will not be disappointed to see just these areas!
First, you will see a seven-story building, once an elementary and junior-high school for children of miners. It looks ready to collapse, but I could well imagine the happy faces of the children who once studied here. Their happy faces were the fruit of the efforts of their fathers, who risked their lives to ensure their children's happiness!
Undersea Coal Mine Island, 'Gunkanjima' 1. Gunkanjima Perspective - No. 1 2. Ruins on Gunkanjima - No. 2 3. Gunkanjima: Undersea Entrance - No. 3
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