Abandoned Japanese Island - Gunkanjima

[ann_marie]

I just found out about this and I thought I would share with the group.

Gunkanjima, the "Battleship Island", lies in front of the coast of Japan, near Nagasaki. It is about 480m long and 160m wide. There used to be a coal mine on the island, and the island was filled up with the mine, with the houses for the workers, the offices, the school and the hospital. But the coal finished, and the mine was closed down in 1974. Since then nobody was allowed to go to the island for security reasons.
Baba San, the fisherman, took us to the island in January 2002. We met him at the harbour, in the early morning, and we left with his boat while it was still dark. Baba San dropped us at Gunkanjima before sunrise, and he picked us up again in the afternoon.
For further information visit www.gunkanjima.com.

Edit - I forgot to add this link, it has some pictures http://www.christophklemmt.com/Travel/G ... aMain.html

[White Rabbit]

Yeah, I've heard of that place, too. The guys over at UER have a major hardon for Gunkanjima.

[ropingk]

Wow this is perttty wild I understand that 1974 was 30 years ago and that time is verry unkind but are the buildings in disrepair beacuse of time and the location to the water?? The pictures look like the people just walked out and left everything, You said that it was off limits for security reasons---so is there security to keep people out???

[ann_marie]

I would think so. The www.gunkanjima.com website in english is really fudged up. I am doing more research on it, but finding an english website that isn't in enGRish is difficult.

[Sparkle]

Might try searching "Hashima Island: which I believe was the former name of it or "Warship Island" which is what Gunkanjima means.

[tyler]

I really loved this post. Thanks a lot for this.