Okuno Island (Rabbit Island), Hiroshima

Okuno Island, which was taken up by the media and quickly became famous as a “paradise for rabbits”About 1,000 rabbits live on the entire island, while the island has about 20 people. The fluffy hair of the rabbit comes close to it, and it looks cute. If you stay at recreation village on the island, you can see the starry sky at night.
Okuno Island, which floats in the Seto Inland Sea, has so many rabbits on the island as it is known as “Rabbits Island”. However, Okuno Island is also known by the name “Poison Gas Island”, which is quite the opposite of the image.
Okuno Island is a place with a very rare history of disappearing from the map of Japan because it used to produce poison gas and is now popular as a rabbit island.
Because there is no vehicle traffic on the island, you will be sightseeing by walking, biking or using the free transfer bus to the holiday recreation village. When you go to Okuno Island, you will walk around the island, so it is recommended that you use sneakers and other easy-to-walk shoes.
As soon as you arrive on the island, a cute rabbit will greet us. There are a lot of familiar rabbits on the lawn square in front of recreation village, which is famous as a rabbit spot, and when you try to give food, they come to you. The food for rabbits is raw vegetables such as cabbage and carrots. It’s not good to have sweets just because it’s so cute!
To access the island, from Kansai and Hiroshima areas, take a limousine bus Hiroshima Airport Line (Mihara-Takehara City) and get off in about 60 minutes. From the Kansai and Hiroshima areas, get off at Tadanoumi Station, which takes about 60 minutes on the Limousine Bus Hiroshima Airport Line (Mihara-Takehara City). From Tadanoumi Port in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, or from Shikoku area, take a ferry from Sakari Port located in Ehime Prefecture to Rabbit Island. You can not drive on the island, so when you land by car you need to park in a parking lot near the pier.
The rabbits are most active early in the morning and late in the evening, and are actively approaching.
There are few tourists and it is a time when the heat is stable even in summer, so it is recommended to stay overnight.
There is no streetlight at night, so it’s really dark, so if you go out with food early in the morning, a large number of rabbits will come in and you will be covered with rabbits.
Accommodation to “Recreation Village Okuno Island” which is the only accommodation facility on the island. Although “Recreation Village Okuno Island” is somewhat old, the facilities are kept clean and staff will welcome you warmly. The food is mainly fresh seafood with local ingredients, and it is enough for a man to fill his stomach.
Because the natural hot spring of the radon hot spring is a large bath, you can relax in an area that you can afford even when there are many tourists.

It is called “island erased from the map”, “poisonous island” and “rabbit island”

Okuno Island (Rabbit Island) is the remote island in the Seto Inland Sea. It is located 3 km away from Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Because of the island is small, you can sightsee there if you have a day. It was designated as Seto Inland Sea National Park in 1934.
Since World War I, it was manufacturing chemical weapons, so it is called “island erased from the map”, “poisonous island” and so on. In recent years rabbits are living, so it is also called “rabbit island” cute name.

The wishes of the local residents not to forget the history

In the production of chemical weapons, 6,500 people including local farmers, fishermen, and labor mobilization students seem to have been involved. After the Second World War, chemical weapons were disposed of by the GHQ and the Japanese government. The “Okunoshima poison gas museum” opened in 1988 from the wishes of the local residents not to forget the history.
In addition, in the “Visitor Center”, easy craft experiences including making bamboo Japanese paper using a local bamboo can be carried out.

Loved by locals and tourists

Eight rabbits kept at elementary school outside the island were released here in 1971, so they went wild. It is said that it breeds after that and now increased to about 1000. For that reason Okuno Island is also called “rabbit island”. The rabbits are familiar with people and are now famous for the island. They are loved by locals and tourists.

Transportation is extremely limited, and the number of services are not frequent

In order to go to Okuno Island, you need to get a ferry from “Tadanoumi” station. Transportation is extremely limited, and the number of services are not frequent, which is a little inconvenient, but if you investigate time in advance, you do not have to worry.

It is also attractive to taste the tropical resort feeling

“Kyukamura Okunoshima” (recreation village) is recommended accommodation in Okuno Island. After sightseeing in Okuno Island, why not relax with “Kyukamura”? As well as hot springs, you can eat seafood from the Seto Inland Sea and it is popular. Plants such as palm trees are also growing and it is also attractive to taste the tropical resort feeling.

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