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
This is me!

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

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Pruned pine whispers calm, 
Old wood meets azure blue skies, 
Mountains hug the past. 

切りそろえた松の静けさ 
古木と青空、出会う 
山々に抱かれた過去 

#offbeatjapan #japan #traditionalvillage #woodenarchitecture #serenescenes #historicjapan #natureandheritage
Eternal blue mist, 
Torii guards the ocean's breath, 
Whispers from the past.

永遠の青霧 
鳥居が海の息を守る 
過去からのささやき

#ToriiSpirit #CoastalJapan #SacredSeas #VolcanicRocks #BlueDusk #offbeatjapan #japan
Scarlet sea of brush, 
Winding path through fire ablaze, 
Beneath blue whispers. 

---

紅色の絨毯、 
火に包まれた道、 
青空の下。

---

#HitachiSeasidePark #kochia #floralwonderland #vibrantjapan #offbeatjapan #naturelovers #japan
Winter's hushed embrace, 
Blue snow hides the sacred glow— 
Golden lights whisper. 

---

冬の静けさ 
青い雪が隠す 
金の灯の囁き

---

#wintersilence #japanesewinter #shintoshrine #snowymystery #sacredglow #goldenlight #offbeatjapan #japan
Quiet rabbit rests, 
Moss blankets dreams in sunlight, 
Echoes of the past. 

静かなウサギ、 
苔に夢を託し、 
過去の声が響く。 
 
#RabbitIsland #Ōkunoshima #NatureLovers #HistoricJapan #MossyDreams #OffbeatJapan #Japan
Orange leaves whisper, 
Midst shaded greens and shadows— 
Nature's secret glow.

---

オレンジの葉 
緑と影の中— 
自然の秘密の輝き。

---

#koyo #autumnleaves #forestvibes #naturephotography #offbeatjapan #japan #hiddenbeauty
Sunset paints the sky, 
Volcanic peak stands aglow— 
Nature's quiet grace. 

日が沈む空、 
輝く火山の頂— 
自然の静かな恵み。 

#offbeatjapan #japan #volcaniclandscape #sunsetglow #naturelovers #ruraljapan #hiddenbeauty #mountainmagic
Graffiti whispers, 
Youth dance in vivid colors— 
Tokyo's heart beats on. 

グラフィティはささやき、 
若者が鮮やかな色で踊る— 
東京の心が打つ。 

#offbeatjapan #tokyostyle #harajuku #japan #streetart #urbanvibes #fashionexpression