Michael John Grist » Nagasaki

Japan’s dying Ceramic Land theme park

MJG — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:58:13 +0000

During Japan’s real estate Bubble in the 1980′s, theme parks were the investment to make. They couldn’t fail. Sink millions into expensive construction, land, and man-power, and ride the surging economy to the pot of gold at the end of...

Ruin of a Japanese WWII Shipyard

MJG — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:48:52 +0000

The Kawaminami shipyard was opened in 1936 and went bankrupt in 1955. It had four huge bays and two large factory buildings. Through the war years it served as both a munitions factory, a drydock for construction of cargo ships,...

Ruin of a Japanese ‘kaiten’ suicide-boat base

MJG — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:38:57 +0000

Towards the end of World War 2 the Japanese military created and employed the `kaiten`, a manned suicide torpedo designed to blow up American ships with great accuracy. At that point in the War Japan had suffered severe losses, was...

Ruin of a century-old Japanese prison

MJG — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:55:59 +0000

Kyu Nagasaki Prison was built in 1907, one of 5 `ultra-modern` Meiji-era prisons built throughout Japan.

Gunkanjima Opens

MJG — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:45:17 +0000

Gunkanjima opens to the public! The famed ‘Battleship Island’, properly Hashima island- formerly a haikyo Holy Grail, has now been opened to tourists to ‘explore’ along a specially built walkway. The cost of the trip is 4,000yen, including the ferry...