Hashima Island (Battleship Island / Gunkanjima)

Hashima Island, nicknamed Gunkanjima or Battleship Island for its silhouette resembling a warship, was once one of the most densely populated places on earth, housing over five thousand coal miners and their families behind a seawall on a speck of land roughly 480 meters long. Mitsubishi operated an undersea coal mine here from 1887 until 1974, and the island packed concrete apartment blocks, a school, a hospital, and shops onto its tiny footprint before the mine closed and the entire population left within months, leaving the concrete structures to decay in the sea air. Tour boats depart from Nagasaki Port and take about forty to fifty minutes to reach the island, circling it for views of the crumbling apartment blocks before landing, weather permitting, on a reinforced walkway that covers only a small fraction of the island for safety reasons. Guides, speaking Japanese with some English support materials, explain the mining history and point out specific collapsed structures during the twenty to thirty minute walking portion. The full excursion, including transit, runs three to four hours. Landings are frequently cancelled in rough seas, particularly in winter, so operators recommend flexible scheduling and note that some cruises proceed as circling-only tours without a landing if conditions are marginal. The island featured as a filming location for the James Bond film Skyfall and is part of the UNESCO-listed Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution.