Misplaced Places’ International Ghost Towns: Hashima Island, Japan

This is part nine of a nine part series on international ghost towns.

Also known as “Gunkanjima” (which translates to Battleship Island) and “Ghost Island,” Hashima Island is perhaps most famous for being the inspiration for the island in the James Bond thriller Skyfall. There was a time, however, when the island was primarily famous for its undersea coal mines. The island’s development coincided with the rise of Japan’s industrialization, beginning in 1887. Over the next few decades, the island grew, both in population size and infrastructure development–many concrete buildings were erected to withstand the local typhoons.

During World War II, Chinese and Korean prisoners of war were brought to the island as slave labor. Conditions were grueling, and over 100 prisoners died on the island. In 1959, Hashima was one of the most densely populated regions on earth–the island reached is highest population with 5,259 residents spread over sixteen acres. However, the 1960s brought a shift–petroleum began to replace coal as a favored source of energy. Hashima’s coal mines were officially closed in 1974, and the island closed down with its undersea mines.

Over the next decades, the island was not maintained. Buildings decayed and fell, and the island’s natural environment took over. Despite its current condition, the public has maintained an interest in the island. Hashima was reopened to journalists who documented the island’s current state in 2005. In 2006, the island was submitted as an UNESCO World Heritage site. Due to public interest in the island’s history and current state, a small section of the island has been reopened to tourists.

Visitors to Hashima have described the island as being eerie and dangerous. Visitors have to wear hardhats to protect themselves from falling buildings. They also have to watch their steps–one step in the wrong direction, even off a flight of stairs, could result in one falling to their death.