Ikeshima island is 15NMs northwest of Nagasaki City. It sits on top of a major underwater coal seam and like several other islands in the same area, was the site of a large-scale coal-mining operation, starting in 1959, to literally help fuel Japan’s post-war economic expansion.

At its peak in the 1980s, about 8,000 people were packed onto Ikeshima. The availability of cheap coal from overseas, however, led to the closing of all these offshore coal mines, with Ikeshima being the last to shut down, in 2001. Today, only about 100 people live on the island, all former mine employees and their relatives. The mine itself is now used as an occasional training center for coal miners from Indonesia and other countries.

The island’s little harbor is man-made, created to accommodate the ships that came to pick up the coal. Cruisers can tie up on the north side of the ferry dock, which is on one’s starboard side as one enters the harbor (32°53.2843’N, 129°36.2850’E). No fee. There is a toilet in the ferry building, a public bath that is open a couple of hours each day, and a small restaurant that is open sometimes.

Renting an electric bicycles is highly recommended to explore the abandoned town site and coal mining facilities. If one books at least three days in advance, one can also join a daily tour of the coal mine itself.

For more details, see here.

Information provided by Kirk Patterson of Konpira Consulting.