An exciting short cruise and tour of the World Heritage Site "Gunkanjima"!

Gunkanjima is a World Heritage Site that can only be reached by tour from the Nagasaki Bay Area. Its official name is Hashima Island. It was once a coal mining island, and after becoming uninhabited, it has weathered over the years. Its overwhelming scale and the unique atmosphere created by the old buildings have made it the location for many movies.

Now, let's board the ship. Enjoy the view from the ship.

You can only get on Gunkanjima by joining a landing tour operated by a shipping company in Nagasaki city. It takes about 40 minutes by cruise ship from Nagasaki Port, and on windy days you may even be hit by waves. Another fun thing to do is to enjoy the view of Nagasaki city from the boat.

The moment Gunkanjima came into view, cheers erupted from the boat!

Finally, Gunkanjima is in sight. As we get closer to the island, the huge, dilapidated concrete structures seem to loom before our eyes, and our excitement reaches its peak.

We finally landed. There was a touching scene about the history of Gunkanjima.

Once ashore, the guide will take you on a tour along the designated route. In the first square, you will come across the "Staircase of Life," an entrance leading down to the undersea coal mine. Miners worked without regard for the dangers of the mines deep under the sea, and sometimes lost their lives in accidents. Some participants were moved to tears by the guide's stories of those days.

In the Second Plaza, you can see buildings that played a central role on the island, such as the Mitsubishi Staff Hall. Of Hashima's four shafts, only the entrance to the second shaft and part of the brick wall of the base of the third shaft remain.

In the Third Plaza, you can see the living areas, such as the reinforced concrete apartment buildings, to learn about the lives of the people. Apartment Building No. 30 is the oldest seven-story reinforced concrete apartment building in Japan. There are 130 to 145 rooms, and all of them were 1K rooms with 6 tatami mats and a hearth (K stands for hearth).

A magnificent view of the blue sea and ruins

The unique scenery of the ruins, which still have a powerful presence, is also known for having been used as a filming location for movies.

Gunkanjima is about 1.2km in circumference. At its peak, more than 5,000 people lived here and it supported the energy of Japan. Why not come and experience the energy and history of this island that supported modern Japanese culture?

■ Gunkanjima

Address: Hashima, Takashima-cho, Nagasaki, Nagasaki
TEL: 095-822-8888 (Nagasaki Call Center Hydrangea Call)
Hours: Different by each course
Holidays: Different by each course
Price: varies by each course
* To land on Gunkanjima, you need to join a tour operated by a shipping company. However, there may be cases where you cannot land due to weather, so please contact each shipping company for reservations and inquiries regarding boarding.

[Ship companies offering tours to Gunkanjima]
· Yamasa Shipping Tel.095-822-5002
http://www.yamasa-kaiun.net
· Gunkanjima Concierge Tel.095-895-9300
https://www.gunkanjima-concierge.com
· Gunkanjima cruise Tel.095-827-2470
http://www.gunkanjima-cruise.jp
· Seaman Shokai Tel.095-818-1105
http://www.gunkanjima-tour.jp

• This article is created based on the contents of "Rurubu Information Edition" or "Rurubu & more." "Rurubu +".
• The data listed are as of March 2025. Prices, business hours, regular holidays, menus, etc. may change or may not be available due to temporary holidays. Please check in advance when using it, as the content may change.
• The holiday of stores and facilities omits the year-end holiday, Obon holiday, Golden Week, and temporary holidays in principle.
• The published fees are in principle the fee including consumption tax that we have confirmed at the time of the interview, and the entrance fee is the adult fee if there is no special mention.
• In principle, the published times are open (hall) to closed (hall). Please note that the last order or entrance (hall) time is 30 minutes to 1 hour before the normal closing (hall) time. The last order is denoted LO.
• For the spring quality and efficacy of the hot springs listed, manuscripts are prepared based on answers from each facility.