Skip to main content

Google Street View adds abandoned Japanese island that inspired 'Skyfall'

Google Street View adds abandoned Japanese island that inspired 'Skyfall'

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

hashima street view
hashima street view

Google Street View has extended its reach to the abandoned island of Hashima, Japan, which served as the setting for Raoul Silva's "Dead City" retreat in 007: Skyfall, the latest James Bond movie. Also known as Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) because of its resemblance to a warship when seen in profile, Hashima retains little hint of its former status as a thriving coal-mining hub. Living conditions deteriorated after the island was used as a labor camp for decades, and the last resident left in 1974, according to a history published in Cabinet.

The island re-opened to tourists in 2009, but certain areas remained off-limits. Google worked with the city of Nagasaki to let its Trekker backpack into the restricted parts, also taking 360-degree photos inside derelict buildings using the same technology from its Business Photos service. The team behind Skyfall, on the other hand, was unable to shoot on Hashima itself, instead building a set in the UK and filming aerial shots from afar.

Google has created a video showing how it used the Trekker to capture its imagery; you can visit the island for yourself by clicking here.