On Sunday of the first weekend in February, after spending a lovely Saturday in Nagasaki city proper, enjoying the annual Lantern Festival, we trekked to the Nagasaki harbor to catch the boat to Gunkanjima, meaning Battleship Island, also referred to as Hashima, when mining operations still occurred there. You can read from various sources that this deserted island served as the inspiration for the abandoned island scenes that appeared in the more recent James Bond film Casino Royale. Others even say this is where one particular scene was filmed. Though I’m not entirely sure how true it is, if true it is interesting trivia to know!
The tour takes the better part of two hours, and consists of the ride out to the island, a brief landing and tour of the most stable areas on the island, circling of the island (on both sides so that all of those seated on the boat can get photographs), and the return trip.
Afterward we spent some time in the YouMe Town that can be found straight off the harbor, housing many cool and interesting shops and, for those who may miss it, a Starbucks. If you sit outside this particular Starbucks you can get quite a good view of the harbor as well as a three-way intersection nestled in the cleft of the bayside. I enjoyed myself considerably this trip, especially with all the cool breezes we encountered on the boat ride and sitting outside. They’re definitely nice memories to have, and I’m looking forward to making more! Here’s a brief photo wrap-up of the trip.
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