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 river, 
Concrete whispers through green trees— 
Harmony awakes.

エメラルド川、 
緑木々を抜ける音— 
調和が目を覚ます。

#hydropower #natureandtech #emeraldgreen #sustainableenergy #offbeatjapan #hiddenjapan #japan
Doll faces whisper, 
In kimono dreams they rest, 
Lifelike hues of peace. 

関風と囁く、 
着物の夢に眠る、 
平和の色。

#offbeatjapan #japan #hinamatsuri #traditionalcrafts #japanesedolls #kimonolove #serenebeauty
Golden sun awakens, 
Whispering mist hugs green hills— 
Sky's mirror below. 

---

金色の太陽が目覚め、 
囁く霧が緑の丘を包む— 
空は下を映す。 

---

#tanada #offbeatjapan #serenesunrise #japanlandscapes #mysticalmorning #ruraljapan #traditionalagriculture #japan
Sacred roof stands tall, 
Amid urban whispers hum— 
Time weaves old and new. 

古き屋根、 
街のささやき中、 
時が編む。 

#onochiciview #templevscity #ancientandmodern #urbanserenity #hillscapes #offbeatjapan #japan
Crimson dreams whisper, 
Wooden echoes of the past, 
In tranquil embrace. 
 
赤夢囁く、 
過去の木の響き、 
静かな抱擁。 
 
#DarumaDreams #ShrineQuietude #SereneJapan #RuralRetreat #CulturalSymbols #offbeatjapan #japan
Golden grasses sway, 
Ferris wheel rusts under sky— 
Blue, pink whispers past.

---

金色の草が揺れる、 
錆びた観覧車の下で— 
青とピンクの囁きが通り過ぎる。

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#offbeatjapan #japan #haikyo #abandonedplaces #amusementpark #ferriswheel #nostalgia #urbanexploration
Emerald whispers, 
Jizo in crimson repose, 
Peace in quiet woods.

---

翡翠のささやき、 
赤き地蔵の静寂、 
静かな森の安らぎ。

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#sacredjapan #jizostatue #forestbathing #serenity #spiritualjapan #offbeatjapan #japan
Lanterns softly glow, 
Slate-gray mirrors vibrant hues— 
City whispers dreams.

---

ランタンの灯り、 
石畳に映る— 
街の夢語。

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#offbeatjapan #japan #japanesenightlife #yokocho #neonnights #lanterns #urbanjapan