The Abandoned Island In 'Skyfall' Has A Scary History
If you’ve seen the new ‘Skyfall’, I assume most of you will be wondering how they managed to create such a realistic setting for the villain’s island, played by Javier Bardem. Well, for one thing the setting itself is real, and has a chilling past.
Just off the coast of Japan, the island of Hashima was once a busy coal-mining community owned by the Mitsubishi Corporation at the beginning of the 20th Century. Well known amongst locals for its cramped conditions and it's current state as a hauntingly derelict town that was once thriving.
During the Second World War it was used as a Japanese prison camp for the Chinese and Koreans, and by 1959 it was at its highest population density (139,100 per square kilometre). Yet it all changed when the Japanese turned to petroleum instead of coal, and the island was abandoned (and remains abandoned) 38 years ago.
In 2002, a Swedish filmmaker named Thomas Nordanstad created a documentary of the island along with a former resident, named Dotokou, who grew up on the island after moving there when he was 4 years old. It marks the first time Dotokou has returned to the island as an adult and he displays his emotions clearly, reminiscing on his past life. Nordanstad filmed this experience and named it Hashima, Japan, 2002, which you can view below.
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Alongside the scientists, 50% of the British public and the future health of young people across the nation, I have one simple request: delay Freedom Day, please.