Gunkanjima(Hashima)
The World Heritage Site Gunkanjima, a real name is Hahima, located about 18 kilometers off the southwest coast of Nagasaki Port, got its name because it resembled the battleship Tosa when viewed from a distance. It thrived by the underwater coal mines between Meiji era ( 1868- ) and Showa era ( – 1970’s ). In 1960’s, Japan’s first reinforced concrete high-rise apartment building was built, 5,500 people lived in the area only with 0.06 square kilometers. it had a population density greater than that of Tokyo. But the transition of primary energy from coal to oil let decline it in 1970s, closed in 1974 after all residents left. Now tourists can visit Gunkanjima by organized boat tours. We joined Gunkanjima Cruise. ( 3500 yen / adult, 120 minutes, 10 minutes walk from JR Nagasaki train station ) English application is available for non-Japanese speakers but guides speak only Japanese during the tour at this moment as of 2024 October.
In the tour, 40 minutes after boarding, firstly we dropped at Takashima (1.34 square kilometers) where also thrived in the coal mining industry. The rest rooms can be found only here in the entire tour course. In the tour, we were taken to the coal mining museum of Gunkanjima. However, Thomas Blake Glover (1838-1911) had his cottage further to central Nagasaki city. He managed Takashima coal mine by Japanese government’s ( Meiji Government ) assignment after his trading company went bankrupt. The coal mine was closed in 1986 though, approximately 380 people are still living in the small island.
After 10 minutes boarding, the boat went around Gunkanjima, then, we had a chance to land on Gunkanjima as the weather condition was good. If it is windy, the waves are high, it is impossible for the ship to dock, so landing on the island is not possible. However, areas that can be accessed are only colored in red in the above map due to safety and security.
The left photo – school ruins, the right photo – a factory and apartments for subcontracts
The above photos show company housing. The light house on the left photo was built after Gunkanjima was closed to avoid it becoming an obstacle to navigation. Hashima Shrine is on the right photo. Yearly festival took place every spring until Gunkanjima’s closure.
On the right side of the above photo, there are the second shaft entrance platform and “Stairs of Life”. The stairs leading to the second shaft entrance platform. The mine is very hot, dangerous and can be deadly, mining work is very hard. In fact, many coal miners died in the mine. Whenever miners walked here, they felt the value of life, hence it is called the “Stairs of Life.”
As those photos show, many buildings are breaking down. As a World Heritage site, the challenge now is how to maintain these.
