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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Totoro Times’s Gunkanjima Odyssey is 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!
