Takashima, an island you can reach by boat from Nagasaki Port, once prospered as a coal-mining island. Today, cats laze around the harbor, and across the sea you can see the famous Gunkanjima (Hashima).
In this article, with photos from my walk around Takashima in October 2024, I introduce the cats of the harbor, the model of Gunkanjima in front of the coal museum, the rocky shore where you can see Gunkanjima, and the swimming beach with its white sand. The information on the museum was checked on Nagasaki City’s official website on October 25, 2026.
The boat I took from Nagasaki Port arrived at the pier under a cloudy sky.
- What Is Takashima? A Nagasaki Island That Prospered with Coal Mining
- Plenty of Cats Around the Harbor
- Takashima Coal Museum and the Model of Gunkanjima (Hashima)
- Gunkanjima Across the Sea
- The Seaside Path and Takashima Beach
- How to Get to Takashima
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Summary: Takashima Lets You Enjoy Cats and Views of Gunkanjima Together
What Is Takashima? A Nagasaki Island That Prospered with Coal Mining
Takashima is an island in Nagasaki City that you can reach by boat from Nagasaki Port. It lies very close to Gunkanjima (Hashima), and both were known as coal-mining islands.
Coal mining on Takashima really got going at the end of the Edo period, when the British merchant Thomas Glover developed the mine together with the Saga Domain and dug a vertical shaft called the Hokkei Shaft (Hokkeisei-kō). Management later passed to Mitsubishi, and the mine closed in 1986 (Shōwa 61).
The Hokkei Shaft site is one of the component parts of the World Cultural Heritage site “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.” The Takashima Hokkei Shaft site, the Nakanoshima Coal Mine site and the Hashima Coal Mine site are also designated together as a National Historic Site, the “Takashima Coal Mine Sites” (2014, Heisei 26).
Plenty of Cats Around the Harbor
As soon as I got off the boat and started walking around the harbor, I met a cat. An orange tabby was sitting solidly on the red pavement.
An orange tabby I met near the harbor. It kept staring at me.
There was also a brown tabby-and-white cat lying in the middle of the road with its belly showing.
A tabby-and-white cat grooming itself while lying on the road.
In a stone-paved square, an orange tabby was napping, stretched out flat. That day I also met many other cats, including a gray cat, a brown tabby, and an orange tabby on top of a wall.
Taking a nap on the stone pavement.
Some of the island’s cats run away when you come close, while others rub up against you looking for food. Even if they are cute, please be careful not to give them food.
When you meet the cats, please do not feed them or chase them. The area is also where islanders live their daily lives, so please do not enter the grounds of their homes.
Takashima Coal Museum and the Model of Gunkanjima (Hashima)
A short walk from the harbor is the Nagasaki City Takashima Coal Museum. According to Nagasaki City’s website, it is a facility that tells the history of Takashima’s coal industry. It opened in 1988, and its exhibits were renewed in 2004.
On the green space in front of the museum stands a model of Gunkanjima (Hashima). You can look down over the shape of the island, packed with tall buildings and surrounded by sea walls.
The model of Gunkanjima in front of the museum. Behind it, you can also see vehicles that were used in the coal mine.
According to Nagasaki City’s website, the museum has the following exhibits.
- 1st floor: Old photos of Takashima, mining tools, a model of the Takashima Coal Mine, coal, and a video corner
- 2nd floor: Items excavated at the Hokkei Shaft site, a Hashima corner, the portable shrine (mikoshi) of Hashima’s shrine, Takashima folk tools, and fossils
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 長崎市高島町2706番地8 (2706-8 Takashima-machi, Nagasaki City) |
| Opening hours | 9:00–17:00 |
| Closed | December 29–January 3 |
| Admission | Free |
| Access | 2 minutes on foot from Takashima Port |
(Source: Nagasaki City, “Nagasaki City Takashima Coal Museum” (Japanese). Checked on October 25, 2026)
Gunkanjima Across the Sea
When I came out to the island’s shore, I could see the outlines of two islands beyond the rocks. The rounded island on the left is Nakanoshima, and the island lined with buildings on the right is Gunkanjima (Hashima). After seeing the model in front of the museum, you can gaze at the real island.
Nakanoshima on the left, Gunkanjima on the right. Their silhouettes stand out against the cloudy sky.
The Seaside Path and Takashima Beach
Along the sea, a path runs beside a seawall painted with waves. Beyond the seawall you can see the harbor and the island’s buildings, and further off, the mountains of Nagasaki.
You can walk along the wave-painted seawall.
Walk a little further and you reach Takashima Beach (Takashima Kaisuiyokujō), with its white sand. It was October, so no one was swimming, and the cove was quiet.
Takashima Beach in autumn. The color of the water is beautiful.
Near the beach there is also a plaza with palm trees and a gazebo. You can take a break in scenery that feels like a southern island.
A seaside plaza lined with palm trees.
How to Get to Takashima
Takashima is reached by boat from Nagasaki Port. Before you go, please check the latest timetable of the operating company for the boat company, boarding point, travel time and fare.
On the way back, you board the boat again at the harbor pier.
The pier where I boarded the boat back. The town and mountains of Nagasaki can be seen across the water.
If you are also walking around central Nagasaki, see “Nagasaki Slope Walk | A 40-Minute Route Through the Stone Slopes of Minamiyamate and Kinen-zaka.” To learn about Nagasaki’s history, read “Nagasaki Atomic Bomb History: August 9, 1945, the Damage, and the Ruins You Can Still See,” and to walk the settings of an anime, see “IRODUKU: The World in Colors Nagasaki Pilgrimage | Walking Meganebashi, Ishibashi Tram Stop and Kinen-zaka.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see Gunkanjima from Takashima?
Yes. From the rocky shore of the island, I could see Gunkanjima (Hashima) side by side with Nakanoshima (October 2024).
How much is admission to the Takashima Coal Museum?
It is free. Opening hours are 9:00–17:00, and it is closed December 29–January 3 (Nagasaki City website, checked on October 25, 2026).
Can you meet cats on Takashima?
When I walked around in October 2024, I met many cats around the harbor and in the seaside plaza. They are not always in the same places.
Summary: Takashima Lets You Enjoy Cats and Views of Gunkanjima Together
- Takashima is a former coal-mining island you can reach by boat from Nagasaki Port
- Around the harbor you can meet relaxed cats, such as orange tabbies and tabby-and-white cats
- There is a model of Gunkanjima in front of the coal museum (free admission), and you can see the real Gunkanjima from the shore
- There is also Takashima Beach with its white sand, and a plaza with palm trees
References (checked on October 25, 2026)
- Nagasaki City Takashima Coal Museum (Nagasaki City) (Japanese)
- Takashima Coal Mine Sites (Cultural Heritage Online) (Japanese)
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