Do you like small animals and love feeding them ? Then a place in Japan known as the ‘Rabbit Island’ will definitely excite you ! The island is populated with thousands of friendly feral rabbits and on reaching there you will be greeted by dozens of such adorable animals.
Okunoshima island, in the Inland Sea of Japan, is popularly known as the ‘Rabbit Island’. The bunnies have been residents here since quite a few decades now, and attract hordes of tourists every year.
In the first place, how these cute animals got into this particular island is really unknown. When getting the story, what appeared, is not as cute as the animal itself. In fact, the island and these rabbits, both have quite a dark past attached to them.
The Dark past of The Island:
During the World War II (1939-1945), Okunoshima Island happened to be the site for producing Japan’s secret chemical-weapons. This infamous locale was sometimes called “Poison Gas Island” and it was erased from Japanese maps to keep the operation under wraps. Rabbits were brought to the island as test subjects for the chemical weapons, and since then, this island has become a home to the bunnies. But the rabbits those are inhabitating the place now are not affected by chemical warfare from the past, rather they are very much friendly. The then chemical weapon factory is now turned to a beautiful museum.
The Poison Gas Museum:
The museum now holds and displays the memory of the cruel aspects of the Japan’ World War II history. It has stored the horrifying pictures of poison gas victims which is exhibited in one of the two rooms of the museum.
However, today’s picture there is completely amusing and people can enjoy the picturesque view of the Island, know the history of the island at their museum and can play around with bunnies! A day trip to the island is enough to explore the beauty of the place. Soaking in the oceanic view, tourists can enjoy numerous scenic trails there and can even swim in the sea during the summer season!
Where to Stay:
If visitors are willing to explore the place further, there is The National Park Resort Hotel on the island itself where they can stay and even relish local delicacies. Further, they can be availed with rented bicycles to fully explore the picturesque island fully.
Interesting facts about the island:
This popular destination is located 3km away from Takehara city, Hiroshima, and it needs only a 15-minutes ferry ride to be accessed.
Interestingly, rabbits are considered as a symbol of safe childbirth in Japan and thus the island becomes a place to seek good fortune for your own family’s fertility.
With all such queering facts the island receives more than 200,000 tourist footfalls annually.
Tourists who are interested for the place should keep few things in their mind that :
▶ Do not carry unsuitable food, in the hope to get a rabbit selfie or a smothered by rabbits picture. Early mornings and late evenings are the best hours if you are looking for rabbits photoshoot.
▶ Do not feed them cabbages, because it is poisonous for the rabbits. Cabbage is toxic to rabbits in large amounts because their sensitive digestive systems have difficulty breaking down the vegetable. Instead, carrots are great diet for them.
▶ Again for the safety of the rabbits, tourists are not allowed to bring any dog with them, only guiding dogs for the blind people are allowed here.
