Haunting abandoned mining town overtaken by nature.
Abandoned coal mining town reclaimed by natures resilient embrace.

Ikeshima: A Semi-Abandoned Island

Ikeshima is the fallback island for explorers disappointed not to have visited Gunkanjima. But despite the shadow of its neighbour, this is a great island!

The island of Ikeshima (or Ikejima) lies west of the Nishiheiki peninsula in Nagasaki prefecture. At its peak in the 1970s, this small island of less than a square kilometre had a population of almost 8,000.

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

The reason for this density in such a remote and restricted area was the coal mine. Before its construction, Ikeshima was simply an agricultural and fishing island.

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

Abandoned mine

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

Forgotten offices

There was originally a large pond on the island, Kagamigaike (Mirror Pond), linked to the legend of Empress Kamiko who would have seen her reflection in it. The island has been called “Ikeshima” or “Pond Island” in reference to this event. However, the development of coal mining later led to the destruction of the pond to build a port.

Night on Ikeshima

Not long after the war, in 1952, the Matsushima Group acquired the coal-rich lands for the development of an underwater mine. Mining operations began in 1959 when the industry was declining in the face of the energy revolution. Ikeshima was able to expand rapidly to reverse this trend.

Ikeshima from the sky!

Ikeshima
Ikeshima
Ikeshima
Ikeshima

By the 1990s the surface area of the mine had reached 35,000 hectares, with a total tunnel length of over 90 kilometres. To facilitate the movement of workers, the company developed fast tracks with a three-wagon train that could carry up to 27 passengers.

Cats, the new residents

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

In the production peak of the 1980s, more than 1.5 million tonnes of coal were extracted.

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

Between 1950 and 1970, the population grew from 350 to more than 7,500. As on the nearby island of Hashima (Gukanjima), hospitals, schools, housing blocks were built from reinforced concrete. The daily rent for these apartments was just 400 yen, and included communal facilities such as a laundry room and onsen (baths).

A walk through town

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

In the late 1990s, following a series of accidents and stiff competition from imported coal, Ikeshima’s mining activities slowed down. Despite government aid, the mine finally closed in 2001. The 2,500 employees who were still working there were all made redundant and left the island.

Eighteen years after its closure, most of the facilities remain and parts of the site seem to be used as a training centre for coal mining engineers from Vietnam and Indonesia. It’s still hard to say exactly what’s abandoned or what isn’t, even if everything seems to be in very poor shape! 

Ikeshima’s abandoned clinic

Today there are only around a hundred residents left, most of them retired miners who keep the memory of the place alive … much to the tourists’ delight!

Ikeshima
Ikeshima

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Who Am I

Jordy Meow
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I am Jordy Meow, a French photographer based in Tokyo. I explore offbeat places in Japan.

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Emerald forest, 
Cradling sapphire heartbeats— 
Nature whispers love. 

エメラルドの森が、 
サファイアの鼓動を包む— 
自然は愛をささやく。 

#LakeToyoni #Hokkaido #HeartShapedLake #AerialView #NatureLovers #offbeatjapan #japan
Steam dances on wind, 
Nature's warm embrace, serene— 
Sky whispers above. 
 
風に舞う蒸気、 
自然の温かい抱擁、静か― 
空が上でささやく。 
 
#onsen #japan #serenity #naturebath #culturalheritage #offbeatjapan #tranquility
Pink blooms, sapphire sky, 
Fields alive, sakura sigh— 
Rural whispers bloom. 

桜咲く 
翡翠の空の下 
田舎の声 

#sakura #cherryblossom #hanami #rurallife #japan #offbeatjapan #japaneseculture
Emerald pastures, 
A whimsical cow greets clouds— 
Nature's gentle jest. 
 
翡翠の野原、 
ふわふわの雲に笑う— 
自然の優しい冗談。 
 
#offbeatjapan #japan #artinnature #greenthailandscape #whimsicalart #cowart #sereneviews
Soft waves kiss the light, 
Stone lantern in dusk's embrace, 
Gold whispers to blue. 

静かな波 
黄昏の灯籠 
金が青に囁く 

#offbeatjapan #japan #serenesunset #japaneselantern #duskbeauty #tranquility #japanesegardens #eveningcalm
Waterfall whispers, 
Sunbeams dance with lush green life— 
Harmony's embrace. 
 
滝のささやき、 
日光は緑と踊る— 
調和の抱擁。 
 
#waterfall #forestmagic #japaneselandscape #naturephotography #serenity #offbeatjapan #japan
Pearl bridge in the wind, 
White and blue in harmony, 
Sky whispers softly. 

風に白橋、 
調和する青、 
空は静か。 

#AkashiKaikyoBridge #PearlBridge #offbeatjapan #Japan #EngineeringMarvel #ScenicJapan #UrbanNature #BridgeViews
Azure seas below, 
Cliffs embrace in vibrant hues, 
Nature's tapestry.

青い海 
鮮やかな崖たち 
自然の織物

#offbeatjapan #japan #okinawa #naturephotography #islandparadise #coastlineviews #japantravel