The Infamous Abandoned Island of Japan Recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Achieving this, of course, required continuous effort.
Japan is a land of stunning landscapes, rich culture, and delectable cuisine, alongside countless attractions for tourists. Among these is a location off the coast of Nagasaki, which once served as the backdrop for a James Bond film featuring the iconic “007”. This is the “Ghost Island” Hashima – also known as Gunkanjima.
The ghost island recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Many people may have heard of this island, associated with mystery and the supernatural. However, this very island was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2015. The reasons for this recognition will be revealed below.
An Island Linked to a Historical Era
About 15 kilometers from Nagasaki lies an abandoned island, devoid of human presence yet shrouded in mystery. Hashima Island, once a coal mining sanctuary in the sea, vividly represents Japan’s rapid industrialization.
In fact, this island is also known as Gunkanjima (meaning Battleship Island), a name derived from its resemblance to a Japanese battleship. Historically, Hashima operated as a coal mining facility from 1887 until 1974.
However, when coal reserves began to dwindle and oil started to replace coal, the island was forced to shut down, and its inhabitants left.
Subsequently, Hashima was neglected for nearly three decades. But as the abandoned concrete structures gradually crumbled over time and vegetation flourished, this derelict island attracted the attention of those interested in preserving historical sites.
After about a 50-minute boat ride from the Nagasaki port to the southwest, one can see a “battleship” standing proudly amidst the sea.
The island’s peculiar shape is due to it being an artificial island, created by the Mitsubishi Corporation in 1887, intended to serve as a high-quality coal mine beneath the sea.
The island that once symbolized industrialization.
During that time, Gunkanjima was the primary fuel source for the massive Yawa steel plant, necessitating a large labor force. Covering only 6.3 hectares, Gunkanjima boasted 71 buildings, high-rises, and coal conveyor systems.
At its peak in 1959, the island was the most densely populated place in the world, so cramped that over 5,000 people were crowded into a building spanning about 0.16 square kilometers.
Now, only a pile of ruins remains.
Designed as a living space for workers, Gunkanjima was equipped with everything except… a cemetery. Schools, playgrounds, gyms, movie theaters, bars, restaurants… even temples and shrines were present.
However, by the end of the 1960s, Japan’s economy surged with the influx of oil. Coal mines gradually faded into obscurity, and by early 1974, Mitsubishi announced the closure of Gunkanjima.
The ruins that only appear in horror movies.
On a day in mid-April 1974, when the last residents boarded boats back to Nagasaki, the island was officially abandoned. Today, “the ghost island” is the name most commonly associated with this location.
A Symbolic Island
Before oil became the energy backbone of the nation, coal was the main fuel, and Gunkanjima represented a significant symbol of the miraculous industrialization era.
In 2001, Mitsubishi donated Hashima Island to Takashima town, and by 2005, it officially became part of Nagasaki.
Since then, the city has initiated a tourism promotion campaign for the island: allowing journalists to visit, restoring the pier for tourism, and renovating some deteriorating areas. Buildings deemed too old and unsafe were off-limits.
Visitors enjoying the eerie atmosphere on the ghost island.
And their efforts paid off. In July 2015, UNESCO officially recognized the “battleship” island as a World Cultural Heritage Site. This recognition is a deserved acknowledgment for a place tied to the history of the industrial age and production.
The world needs to know Japan as a country that is always innovative and creative in technology. This also serves as a solution to encourage people to keep exploring and innovating, just as this nation continues to do.
