Visit Gunkanjima Island (Battleship Island) in Nagasaki
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
In this tour, you will have a chance to visit Gunkanjima island, the battleship island by cruising from Nagasaki city.
Gunkan-Jima: A World Heritage Site that Supported Japan's Modernization
In Nagasaki Prefecture, eight industrial heritage sites, including Battleship Island (Hashima Island Coal Mine), are registered as components of the World Heritage Site "Industrial Revolutionary Heritage of Meiji Japan: Iron and Steel Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, and Coal Industry. Nagasaki, which was a pioneer of Japan's modernization, is dotted with other modernization heritage sites, and there are a variety of heritage tours and guided tours available.
Additional Info
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
If the weather is bad or the waves are too high, the tour may be canceled or may take a boat trip around the island. In that case, you will be contacted by email, so please include your email address in the message.
Gunkanjima Museum entrance fee will be offered.
Umbrellas (both rain and shine) are not allowed on the boat. Raincoats can be purchased at the reception and on board for 200 yen, but please bring your own if you can prepare them in advance. We also do not allow parasols, so please wear a hat, sunscreen, and other measures to protect yourself from the heat. Heels are not allowed, and only flat shoes are allowed ashore.
Wave Height: As in the past, you will not be allowed to go ashore if the wave height exceeds the regulations.
Present the pledge to board the ship with your signature, and pay additional 310 yen per adult, 150 yen for Youth and Children for Nagasaki City for embarking on the island.
Visit the Gunkanjima Museum for about 1 hour (12-13:00) and then Boarding will start at 13:20. First come first served(seated), so get to the ship around 13PM to secure your seat.
The museum can be visited again after disembarking from the ship. 1 re-entry only. Each person will be given a visit pass. The tour ends at 5:00 p.m., so the tour must be completed by then.
After booking, we will send you the pledge by e-mail. It is better to come with a written pledge if you have access to a printing environment. You can also fill it out on site.
There is a possibility that you cannot land to the island due to the condition of the ocean. In that case, we will offer you a gift as an alternative.
This package does not include an audio guide, but if you prefer you can rent one locally on the day for an additional fee.
What To Expect
Hashima Island
Gunkanjima (軍艦島) is a small island located about 20 kilometers from Nagasaki Port. Until 1974, the island served as a coal mine, and more than 5000 residents called the 480 meter long, 150 meter wide island home, resulting in the highest population density in history recorded worldwide.
Gunkanjima Digital Museum
You can learn about the Gunkanjima at this recently renovated digital museum!
Options
Visit Gunkanjima Island (Battleship Island) in Nagasaki
What‘s Included
Admission fee to Gunkanjima island and the Digital Museum
Local assistance
Cruise fare
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Food and beverages
Landing and facility fees
Audio Guide(English)
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Reviews
38 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great trip but...........
Richard M,May 29, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00If the sea is a bit rough and you cannot land its a shame but its still worth the trip. Unfortunately because its a Japanese language tour you pay 1000yen rental for a headset that you can barely hear over the local commentator in Japanese.
Impressive ruins of a coal mining town from the last century.
Ute S,May 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00An audio guide and headphones are offered with English text (for reading along) and simultaneous English explanations; however, the Japanese information from the (incredibly loud) speakers in the outdoor and indoor areas completely drowns out the audio guide, making it useless. Tour on the island: exclusively in Japanese, English is only used for instructions regarding behavior and general information. That is unfortunate and was not known beforehand. Overall, one can hardly take in these impressive ruins of a coal mining town that has been uninhabited and completely decayed for over 50 years; there is neither time nor peace for that :(
Slightly dissappointing
Stuart D,Apr 17, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Was expecting more. The tour time says 12pm yet we did not board the boat until 1.25 so lots of waiting around if you do not want to see the museum. They do not cater for non Japanese speaking tourists; although booked for English we had to purchase a device to listen to pre recording in English. Do not expect to roam and see all the island you are limited to 3 viewing areas. Boat across was nice and staff were friendly.
It was ok. My world wasn’t rocked.
Meg B,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00Didn’t get to walk around- was cancelled in the morning. Sea conditions was not great so my two family didn’t attend on the day and no cancellation option. As you have to pay in advance by a week it was difficult to know weather. Would recommend only booking on the day at the museum. The island itself was impressive but I had a seat under the stairs and couldn’t see much and you were not able to stand up so a bit of a waste to be honest. Overall experience was okay. Staff were helpful.
Great place to visit
Sinhang W,Apr 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00The trip is worthy as you can go behind the walls and into the “city “ . Part of the glitch about the instructions of getting ticket from the museum reception can be more clear to avoid confusion
Great daytrip for sea bears
katrinmdahlberg,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The sea felt a bit rough, but anyway we were able to land on the island! It was certainly a great daytrip and I would recommend it to anybody interested in combining a boat trip with the eerie island!
Great site to visit,...
Lisa M,Sep 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00Great site to visit, however choose a different provider as they did not provide what they promised, and English speaking guide.
Interesting but limited access- no English guide
pulseracing,Aug 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00It’s an interesting place to see but some challenges with the boat service. First when You arrive you find there’s a priority service that Tripadvisor doesn’t mention, this gives you first boarding and much nicer spot on the boat and ability to roam around on deck.. The regular seats are in order of booking, so even if you arrive early on the day you have to wait by the number on your ticket to board then obviously you get the worst seats scattered around for the hour you it takes to reach the island. We were right near the back of the queue The guide is only in Japanese on a quite harsh PA system that makes it very difficult to hear the headphone based English guide that costs 1000yen extra. So if you want to know stuff, look into it at the included museum before the trip Weather dictates whether you can land on the island. There are only 2 areas of shade and no fans etc. Boat has air con and for the return journey if you pile on first you can get some nicer seats in the main cabin
Interesting
virginiebricout2,Jul 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Interesting tour of the museum and on the boat, the guides were very kind. We would have liked to spend a little more time on the island
A little disappointed
virginia s,Jun 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Informed at the last minute that we couldn’t land. Japanese tour guide which was fine but the English audio was good enough. Was out of sync with the visual screen. Actual cruise was good- clear skies and good view of the island
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