Gunkanjima doesn’t need any more presentation: it is the famous abandoned island of Japan and one of the most loved urban exploration spots in the world ! My dream to go there has been fulfilled a few times, but like all explorer/hobbyist photographer, I wanted more… and I ended up spending an entire night on Gunkanjima. It was a few months back and it was awesome.
It was early autumn and very chilly, the salty wind felt like breaking in through my skin. However I was really warmed-up by my friendly team; they were all locals, knew the island perfectly well, and obviously have a very strong bond with it.
After some organization and preparing our HQ, we all run away in different directions. It’s magical: sometimes we can spot team members by a flick of light, or a sound. Sometimes we walk into each other in random buildings, exchanging a hello and continue our journey.
Eventually, we met at our HQ for a few drinks and a nice nap. As we were probably the very first ones to stay and sleep on the island overnight since it was abandoned in 1974, I had this very strong feeling: oh wow, this is awesome and I am so out of my mind… Will I ever experience such a beautiful and intense moment like this one again?
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Offbeat Japan’s Gunkanjima Urbex Trips are a series of articles about Gunkanjima, during day and night, exploring different aspects and landmarks of the island. I sincerely hope you would appreciate those photos, as I really enjoyed taking them. Thanks for reading!
Comments
You can check this article’s author website for example and you’ll see more 😉 There is a book called Nippon No Haikyo but it is only in Japanese.
Please feel free to go when you have time, there are a few official tours 🙂
wow great pics and area. IThat is so far away from Tokyo 🙁 Would have loved to go there. I love abandoned places. Is there a webpage or book (in english) about places like these? Would love to visit some abandoned places. thanks and keep posting great pics!
Exquisite pictures! I want to visit there myself!!!