Hashima island, also known as Gunkan-jima (Warship or Battleship island), is located 15km southwest of the Port of Nagasaki in southern Japan.
The «Ghost Island» is an uninhabited, abandoned island. Populated from 1887 to 1974, it was a coal mining facility. Its population density was 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km2) in 1959. Its nickname came from its apparent resemblance to the Japanese battleship 'Tosa' from the distance. Due to the depletion of the coal in the 1970s, the coalmine was closed in January 1974 by its owner, the Mitsubishi company.
Over the years, Gunkan-jima, which in 2003 was the location for scenes from « Battle Royale II » starring Takeshi Kitano, has been a place of predilection for lovers of urban and industrial exploration -- although landing on the island was forbidden by authorities for safety reasons. The island also has a cult following on the internet and has attracted a plethora of photo-essays and documentary projects. In 2008 an association nominated the island to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hashima was re-opened to the public on 22 April 2009, after more than 30 years of closure. Guided tours, including a chance to visit the island, are now available from Nagasaki.
Just a quick note about my October 2009 travel in... Japan. Due to a hard workflow, I can not post many pictures to the image database or blog. I took more than 2500 pictures during the last trip
Here is a quick list of the covered topics and places:
Fukuoka (mood, food, modern architecture,eco-architecture); Beppu (onsens ans spa); Nagasaki (catholics, monuments); Gunkan Jima (aka "Warship Island"); Kogoshima and Sakurajima; Yakushima and Tokyo (modern architecture); flagship stores and corporate signs (Adidas, Uniqlo, Nivea ad campaign, Asahi, Kirin, Yebisu, Sapporo...).
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2009 September.07
"Le bateau échoué", de Jean Nouvel sur l'Ile Saint-Germain (Issy-les-Moulineaux). (Image 002-000374.003)
"Le bateau échoué", de Jean Nouvel sur l'Ile Saint-Germain (Issy-les-Moulineaux).
Mystérieux, esthétiquement insolent par son aspect hors-normes, sa non-transparence, inévitablement attirant, l'immeuble - ou la chose architecturale - me fais penser au New Sky Building de Tokyo. Laid? Je ne sais plus Laid, beau? A étudier et à observer.
Architectural Renewal in Issy-les-Moulineaux, South-West of Paris: Sodexo headquarter - 'Panorama' building, August 2009. Design: Atelier de Midi architect office -The building, close to the end station of the Val de Seine T2 tramway, is the new headquarter of Sodexo--worldwide provider in food and facilities management services.
Tower-Flower, OPAC social housing designed by French architect Edouard Francois. Bamboos of different origins on the balconies give to the building its unique appearance, with its green-eco-design emphasized by the sound effect of leaves moving in wind.
Architectural renewal in Issy-les-Moulineaux, in south-west of Paris: daycare nursery 'Baby d'Issy', 'Les Chartreux' school complex and gymnasium. Design: Bernard Ropa ; completed in 2008 (image #001-000342.003 ; more images are available on demand).
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Renouveau architectural a Issy-les-Moulineaux : quartier des Chartreux, le complexe imaginé par l'architecte Bernard Ropa, composé d'une garderie, d'une école et d'un gymnase. (image #001-000342.003 ; davantages d'images disponibles sur demande).
Pour illustrer son article "Les mauvais chiffres de la deuxième économie mondiale" E24.fr publie une vue panoramique de la ville de Yokohama illuminée au coucher du soleil avec la silhouette du Mont Fuji au dessus de l'horizon.
New Microsoft Headquarter in Issy-les-Moulineaux, close to Paris, July 2009 (image #002-000344.020). More pictures are available on demand.
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Le complexe "Microsoft" dans le nouveau quartier d'affaires "Seine Ouest" à Issy-les-Moulineaux. Situé en bord de Seine, a la limite de la Ville de Paris et près du périphérique, le site accueillera le nouveau siège de Microsoft France ainsi que le centre de recherche européen du géant de l'informatique.
Issy-les-Moulineaux, July 2009 - 'Seine Ouest' new business area in the vicinity of Paris: 'Galeo' bulding designed by Christian de Portzamparc ('Bouygues Immobilier' headquarter).
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Grands travaux d'urbanisme et renouveau architectural a Issy-les-Moulineaux, près de Paris. A droite, en cours de construction le nouveau siege de Bouygues Immobilier, baptise "Galeo" conçu par l'architecte Christian de Portzamparc, dans le nouveau quartier d'affaires "Seine Ouest". A gauche, une partie du chantier de la tour "Eqwater" vendu au promoteur DekaBank.
Dramatic vision of the 'TF1' tower - The French television number one channel headquarters. Here, the tower displays the visual emblem of its flagship real-TV progam 'Secret Story' - a giant camera-eye overlooking the city of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt, July 2008.
More pictures are available on demand (please refer to the reference number #002-000369).
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L'Oeil-caméra de TF1 : Aux portes de la capitale, l'embleme de l'émission phare de l'été, Secret-Story, domine la ville. A son tour, l'image délivre sa puissance symbolique, donnant une vision archétypale d'une société de télé-spectateurs, de télé-contrôle et de télé-surveillance. Comme le montre l'image, l'Oeil-camera de TF1, qui appelle quelques références iconographiques, demeure en-dessous des nuages, alors qu'il les domine sur l'emblème de Secret-story, tel l'Oeil omniscient exerçant sa surveillance sur l'Humanité, tel l'Oeil de Dieu ordonnant les affaires terrestres...
Le 14 juillet à Paris - A gauche : exposition des matériels de l'Armée de Terre - A droite : démonstration de la Compagnie des Voltigeurs des Pompiers de Paris Esplanade de Invalides.
L'image, prise aux portes du quartier de Kabukicho (Shinjuku) met à la fois en scène l'élément humain en milieu urbain et la ville illuminée, avec les immeubles de l'avenue Yasukuni Dori à perte de vue, donnant une impression de tassement dans cette longue avenue de la capitale nippone, où l'espace est rare et precieux.
Kabukicho by night, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Kabukicho is a district located near Shinjuku Station. Known as the city's traditional "pleasure quarters," it is still known as a red-light district, but has also become a major shopping, restaurant, and nightclub area as well. The district's name comes from late-1940s plans to build a kabuki theater: although the theater was never built, the name stuck.
