Hashima (端島)

Hashima, otherwise known as Gunkanjima (which translates into "Battleship Island" due to its similar appearance to a battleship), is an island currently uninhabitable by humans unless of course, you're Raoul Silva and planning to destroy the world in the James Bond movie Skyfall. Then the lack of water and electricity (maybe he used a generator?) wouldn't bother you. Despite the movie's trick into making you think it's not too far from Macau, it's actually right off the coast of Nagasaki.

I was able to get a see it via the tour company Gunkanjima Concierge and was even able to get on the island! Our tour guide was sure to wear a little construction (coal miner?) hat to complete the tour.

Hashima was purchased by the Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha to take advantage of its coal in 1890. As coal became the next big thing in energy production, the population of Hashima grew until had a population density greater than Tokyo. It was here that Japan's first reinforced concrete high-rise apartment buildings were built -- the concrete was used because the island had little protection from typhoons.

The above apartment building was for the rich people; each apartment had its own bathroom.

Coal mining was dangerous work... the miners (not to be confused with "minors") would ascend the stairway (seen below on the right) up to an elevator that contained no walls or roof. To get to the seabed coal reserves took them down 1,000 meters below sea level where they'd experience extreme temperatures and humidity in addition to the possibility of gas explosions. Controversy exists today because Mitsubishi forced Chinese and Korean laborers to work in the worst parts of mine and in general austere living conditions.

Returning from their work, they would wash in three different types of baths (two of which were salt water) in the brick building known as the General Office building. The bathtub was said to always be a pitch black from all the grime.

In the next photo, you can see the remains of the conveyor belt that would transport coal to the storage facility... it almost looks like a bunch of goal posts.

In the below photo, the white building is the quarantine building for patients with dysentery. The building immediately on the left is the hospital.

But what happened here? It actually had nothing to do with the atomic bomb.... it was simple economics. When Japan started to prefer oil to coal, the city was simply shut down in 1974. Though I do always love a good tragedy, I think it makes the island less creepy and more enjoyable.