The island has become a tourist attraction in recent years for its two major draws. The rumors suggest that either the rabbits are the descendants of rabbits used to test the poison gas on, or they are descendants of pet rabbits released on the island. A japanese island is becoming a tourist hotspot for one reason only. As of 2017, there were at least 305 breeds of domestic rabbit in 70 countries around the world. Okunoshima island japans island of bunnies pictures. Japan is known to have an inherent cute culture and rabbit island only adds to the cuteness overload by a thousand times. Finding echoes of japans ancient past, and of the woodlands of hayao.
Okunoshima is a lovely piece of land located in the inland sea of japan that is known as the rabbit island because of the hundreds of rabbits living there. My 30th birthday on japans rabbit island lines of escape. Though wild, the rabbits on the island are used to humans and will approach visitors in search of a snack, and hop on to laps. Youll see for yourself when you check out our list of activites for rabbit island. Okunoshima, otherwise known as rabbit island, is located in japans.
Tanja posted on april 2, 2017 april 6, 2020 hiroshima, outdoors japan 2 comments 10917 views. I hope you enjoy your adventures around japan feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about traveling with kids, vegetarian dining or anything specific to hiroshima. Getting to japans rabbit island getting to rabbit island is an easy task if you have the jr rail pass. Ok, so from hiroshima station you want to head to tadanoumi station. The link to this photo or video may be broken, or the post may have been removed. If you have a couple of days in hiroshima prefecture i would put this in my top three places to visit. You need to visit the island of okunoshima, in hiroshima prefecture. Is it worth to visit okunoshima, the rabbit island in japan.
I advise you to plan a trip to the island if youre in japan, or are. Okunoshima, japans rabbit island the crowded planet. Rabbit island is real, peopleand its wonderful the site of a former poisongas factory in japan is now the home to a lot of fluffy bunnies. Okunoshima, a small island off the coast of japan, is where the japanese imperial army manufactured several tons of poison gas during world war iibut now the. Loved rabbit island and was able to stop at had a wonderful day with mayumi.
Today the 700squaremeter 700,000 squaremeter island is home to more than 300 rabbits that roam freely, earning the nickname of usagi shima, or rabbit island. Rabbit island hiroshima private tours triplelights. Great big story paid a visit to the famous okunoshima rabbit island in japan to learn why so many feral bunnies have made the beautiful, balmy isle their forever home and why they are as friendly as they are imagine an island filled only with rabbits. The poison gas factory ruins located on okunoshima, hiroshima prefecture, japan. Its called rabbit island because of the thousands of feral rabbits that. Viral videos are destroying japans supercute rabbit island. Japans cat island and rabbit island are charming enough, but are not especially worth the effort it takes to reach both of them from their closest cities. Similarly, what and when the rabbits are fed is wreaking havoc on their health resulting in only a twoyear lifespan. Feral bunnies getting fed by tourists on rabbit island. It was made primarily from boiled, cracked wheat hence its name, which derives from the latin word frumentum, grain. Read on to find out everything you need to know to plan a trip to japans rabbit island.
If you want to recharge before exploring the sights, todays your lucky day. Okunoshima island takehara 2020 all you need to know. In the middle of the vast watery stretch that is lake superior sits rabbit island, 91 acres of rocks, earth, trees and wild habitat. Rabbit island provides a huge variety of rare and common plants for both serious and casual collectors. Gofio escaldado or escaldon a kind of thick porridge of canary islands. The island of okunoshima in japan was once a secret test site for chemical warfare. The rabbit island of okunoshima is in the hiroshima prefecture and although it is still some distance from osaka it is definitely closer than tokyo. Stay 2 nights, the buffet is really good too no hasenpfeffer.
Not just the rabbits, but also history tripadvisor. Though i am not of japanese origin nor am i an expert on japan, my guess would be that these islands of rabbits and cats are developed for the same purpose as the cat cafes are. If youre planning on going, i have a few suggestions. If you arent the kind of people to get all sad and brokenhearted, then its a cool. Despite japan signing the geneva protocol in 1925 to ban the use of poison gas, the island was home. Japan has an island full of rabbits but this small. For the rabbits of rabbit island, their fame poses what some people caution is a growing threat to their survival. Heres howand whetherto visit japans cat island and rabbit. Exploring japans rabbit island everything you need to. But, since our itinerary was already sending us to hiroshima, rabbit island seemed to be the obvious choice, as its a perfect day trip from the city. A rabbit forages for food at the beach on okunoshima island, feb. Apr 18, 2014 robert schrader japan is worldfamous for cuteness, from hello kitty, to pokemon. There may be an unfortunate side effect of the newfound popularity of rabbit island.
The first things to do on your itinerary when you arrive in hiroshima are going to be getting a good view of itsukushima shrine s giant torii gate and savoring a meal of large hiroshima. Thanks to the fluffy creatures, okunoshima is a popular tourist attraction. Only a 15minute ferry ride from the mainland, the island is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. Everything you need to know about visiting okunoshima. Okunoshima, also known as rabbit island, in japan was o nce a top secret island used to manufacture chemical weapons during the second world war. Okunoshima is about 50 km from hiroshima, easy to reach with a bullet train and ferry combo and making for a perfect day trip. We went to rabbit island and talked a lot on the way over and back.
There are campsites, walking trails and places of historical interest on the island. In this rabbit island pilot video, we visit okunoshima. The interesting story behind the famous japanese island. Bunny island and other awesome japanese attractions for. Located in the east seainland sea of japan, the small island was once the production site for japans chemical weapons during world war ii. There are no human residents on this island, but there are over 1,000 rabbits. During world war ii the island was used as a poison gas facility. Rabbit island has never been divided or developed, nor will it ever be. While visiting bunny island, many people choose to camp, but, if campings not your thing, the island also hosts a hotel.
Zao fox village styles itself a fox sanctuary, devoted to preserving the fox species in its care. From hiroshima, we took the bullet train to mihara station, and then changed. There is a rabbit island in japan and its the cutest thing ever the. Okunoshima, an island where japan produced poison gas during the second world war, is now a haven for friendly rabbits. Richard adamss 1972 book, watership down, is an epic about rabbits and. The videos from japans okunoshima island are undeniably cute. Okunoshima rabbit island april 4, 2012 september, 2019 jjwalsh 63619 views 10 comments animal park, day trip, familyfriendly, kidfriendly, rabbits its not due to the shape of this island that it got the nickname of rabbit island but because it is completely overrun with the cute, fluffy bunnies. An article from 2016 warns that the influx of tourists feeding the rabbits has created an unsustainable explosion in population. In some ways, the island of okunoshima, in western japans setonaikai inland sea, seems like a terrible vacation spot. However, theres a dark story from world war ii behind this picturesque island.
These animal islands in japan might be what your are looking for. Are japans animal islands all theyre cracked up to be. Japanese island overrun by rabbits, tourists cnn travel. Its already in an outoftheway region of the country, and with no connecting bridges, the only way to get there is by boat. While technically part of hiroshima prefecture, it is also quite close to ehime prefecture. Heres howand whetherto visit japans cat island and.
The rabbit island in japan is only accessible by ferry. L ocated in eastern hiroshima, rabbit island is a small enclave occupied by hundreds of wild rabbits that roam the forests and fields, chasing tourists for food. Japanese island now populated by hundreds of bunnies the. Porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped starchy plants typically grains. Rabbit island japan admin 11th april 2016 rabbit island japan 20161012t07. Because the nation of japan is an extremely crowded one, and i am s. It is accessible by ferry from tadanoumi and omishima. A grim military past on japans cuddly rabbit island. During world war ii, the japanese imperial army created poisonous. Viral videos blamed for endangering japans adorable. Rabbit island attracts petloving tourists despite its dark past although it once housed poison gas factories, japans small island of okunoshima is now home to hundreds of friendly bunnies. Ive found the happiest place on earth, and theres not a mickey mouse in sight. Rabbit island is real, peopleand its wonderful the.
Japans rabbit island in hiroshima is absolutely covered in rabbits. The famed japanese island of okunoshima, perhaps better known as bunny island, has made its way back into the news again following the release of a video that shows a woman being chased by a horde of touristloving rabbits. Jdlrobson via wikimedia commons this article originally. Okunoshima, otherwise known as rabbit island, is located in the. Rabbit island also caters to collectors with creative methods for urban growing such as greenhouses, grow lights and planters. How to get to rabbit island in japan sylvies suitcase. But beneath the cuteness the island holds a surprising and dark secret. The broken english conjured images of families wanting to return their pets to the wild, adding to my building. The easiest way to travel japan is by train, so my recommendations on how to get to rabbit island will all focus on train travel. Japan is famous for its interesting relationship with animals.
The link to this photo or video may be broken, or the post may have. Bunny island japan japans rabbit island okunoshima travel today were exploring japan s rabbit island, okunoshima. What is the purpose of japan having a cat island and a. Okunoshima, also known as rabbit island, is a small island between shikoku and honshu. According to researchers who spoke with, all the visitors feeding the feral bunnies has led to an unsustainable population boom that has destroyed the islands ecosystem. The island was originally a wwii gas manufacturing plant. She worked very hard to do everything i asked and more. As a result, unless you have a lot of free time on your japan trip, or you simply have your heart set on visiting these places, id probably recommend against going to cat island japan. See more ideas about japan, island, hiroshima japan. On this tour, ride the ferry out to bunny island from tadanoumi port, rent a bike to explore the island optional, watch the rabbits, and learn how the island. Okunoshima, japan, often called usagi shima, or rabbit island disambiguation page providing links to topics that could be referred to by the same search term this disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name.