S P O T ／ SPOT-299
Ikeshima Coal Mine (Disused Pit Tour)
池島炭鉱（廃坑ツアー）いけしまたんこう
Off the Sotome coast of Nagasaki lies Ikeshima, a small island roughly 4 km around that was the last working coal-mine island in Kyushu. Mining began in 1952; at its peak some 8,000 people lived here, until the pit closed in 2001. Today visitors board an electric trolley (battery car) and, led by guides who are themselves former miners, ride into the actual tunnels — and can even simulate operating real coal-cutting machinery from the working era. It is the only facility of its kind in Japan. The island's ruined apartment blocks have earned it the nickname 'the second Battleship Island,' but unlike Hashima, about 100 people still live here and, crucially, you can go underground. Note that the coal-mine experience facility is scheduled to close at the end of March 2027.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The only experience in Japan where you ride an electric trolley into real tunnels and simulate operating mining machinery under a former miner's guidance
- 02A rare modernization heritage where you can still enter the tunnels of a closed coal mine
- 03An island landscape of ruined high-rise apartment blocks dubbed 'the second Battleship Island' — yet still inhabited
- 04The industrial-history context of being Kyushu's last coal-mine island
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Nagasaki Prefecture Nagasaki City
- Address
- 長崎県長崎市池島町1411-1
- Fee
- 炭鉱体験ツアー 有料（コース別・予約制／別途フェリー運賃）
- Hours
- ツアーは予約制（午前11:00〜・午後13:15〜等のコース制）。施設受付 8:30〜17:00。月曜・第2第4木曜・年末年始休
- Status
- 現存（炭鉱体験施設は2027年3月末で廃止予定）
- Nearest
- 鉄道なし（離島・フェリーアクセス）
- Walk
- 0 min
- Parking
- 本土側の港に駐車場あり（島内は車不要）
- Time
- ツアー約2〜3時間＋往復フェリー（半日〜終日）