ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hashima Island

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of Hashima Island? No? Well, it's a small island in Japan that's very special because of its history. It used to be a really important place for Japanese coal mining. And that's where we start!

You know how we dig deep into the ground to get coal, right? Okay, so people who work in coal mines are called miners. And in the olden days, there were a lot of miners working on Hashima Island. They would go deep underground to get the coal and then bring it back up to the surface for people to use.

Now, mining is a really tough job. Imagine being in a dark and cramped place, digging and digging for hours on end. It's not easy! But the miners on Hashima Island did it anyway, because coal was really important for making things like electricity and heating.

Anyway, so these miners needed a place to stay while they were working on the island. And that's where the apartment buildings on Hashima Island come in. They were built so that the miners and their families could live there while they worked.

And let me tell you, these buildings were really special. They were so tightly packed together that they looked like a big concrete beehive! And all of the apartments were really small, with just enough room for a bed, a table, and a few other things.

But even though the apartments were small, they were really important to the people who lived there. It was their home, you know? They had their own kitchen and bathroom and everything. And they would decorate their apartments with pictures and toys and all sorts of things.

Sadly, over time, the coal on Hashima Island ran out. And so the miners moved away, and the island was abandoned. But the apartment buildings are still there today, all empty and silent. It's like a ghost town!

Nowadays, some people visit Hashima Island to see what it's like. But nobody can live there anymore, because it's not safe. The buildings are really old and falling apart, and it's not a good idea for people to go inside.

So that's the story of Hashima Island, kiddo. It's a really special place with a lot of history, but nobody lives there anymore.