Kyushu 2023 - Nagasaki Approaching Gunkanjima/Hashima

Ladies and gentlemen, Hashima Island. I prefer to call is Gunkanjima a.k.a Battleship Island, cause surely this can only come out from a sci fi fantasy story! So, the wonderful thing that I love about my travel is, it's like a fast track to learning history and culture of a country. Hashima Island was indeed a futuristic island long time back when coal was a thing. It was a high revenue generating place, and many people came here to live and work here. It was a whole town on that concrete piece of land. But soon, the coal ran out, or the demand went down, and soon it was abandon, with all it's buildings still intact. Like a zombie invaded land. Time stood still since then. Who knows how long it will remain like this. 

Our boat approaching the island. This was the most exciting part of the trip. Cause the captain has to judge whether it was safe for us to land. And I bet everyone of us wanted to land and set foot on that island! it was nerve wracking as the boat gets closer and closer to it.

Everyone was outside the boat, taking photograph, just in case the captain decided that nope, today was't the day! Hahaha. So close yet to far!

Here's a selfie of me, praying that we can land! 

I do think the island is so beautiful. I mean, it's all concrete and without any colour. But there is just something very surreal about it. Something mysterious. Something sad and haunting. 

Our boat went closer and closer, and we could see the building clearer. Clearly abandon. Stones and metal could be seen exposed. Streets empty. Not much vegetation on the island. Windows, dark and hollow..... 

Imagine..... there once was a vibrant community here....