Ōkunoshima, 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. Japan is known for the many islands or areas that are densely populated by kawaii (cute) animals! Of course, many rabbits can be seen on the way to the hotel, and the sidewalk along the shore is spectacular. DO NOT HOLD RABBITSIN YOUR ARMSOR CHASE THEM, ■ Rabbits are usually afraid of being held;they will struggle to escape. fortune for your own family's fertility. Okunoshima: The dark story behind Japan’s “Rabbit Island” Apr 2, 2017 Ian Harvey 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. ■Waiting for the ferry is a bliss with Whipped Ice Cream at ocean view Rabbit Café. ■ Original set of postage stamps / envelopes / letter papers. The infamous locale was sometimes called "Poison Gas Island" and it was erased from Japanese maps to keep the operation under wraps. Please refill the water pans around the island wherever possible. The majority of the island’s residents are feral rabbits and the few people that do call the island home are employees of the island’s only hotel. Tadanômi Port was extraterritorial during the war, being the only departing port to reach the island. A visit to Okunoshima can even be extended to an overnight trip! Plenty of snacks and drinks are sold at the hotel. Comes with an original rabbit postcard. Dubbed "Rabbit Island," Ōkunoshima has become more popular since 2014, when a video of a woman being stampeded by bunnies went viral. ■ If you plan to stay overnight, advance hotel reservation is advised as accommodation is limited around the area. The best way to go to Rabbit Island is by train, so you need to buy a Japan Rail Pass (7day, 14day or 21 day) before flying to Japan. Estimates vary, but about 300 rabbits inhabited the island in 2007, which grew to between 700 and 1,000 today. Feral rabbits normally live to be two years old, but that's in a case where they have natural predation. How to get to Rabbit Island Japan Okunoshima (大久野島) is located in the Seto Inland Sea and belongs to Takehara City, not too far from Hiroshima City, in Hiroshima Prefecture (map). It takes about 20 minutes from Hiroshima and less than 2 hours from Osaka to reach Mihara Station. ■Located 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. ■, ■ Spending the afternoon reading a book by the beach with rabbits, ■An original commemorative rabbit stamp is available at the port. We offer takeaway coffee, snacks and lunch boxes. Open 7:00 – 19:45 / 365 days a year. These attract crows which interfere with rabbits.Also, leaving rabbit food near their nest means leaking the whereabouts of baby rabbits to their predators. There is Zao Fox Village, Okunoshima or Rabbit Island, Miyajima is known as Deer Island and Tashirojima or Cat Island to name a few. History. ■, ■Afree shuttle bus or a 15-minute walk will take you to the National Park Resort Hotel on the island, where there are many rabbits welcoming tourists. Ok, so from Hiroshima Station you want to head to Tadanoumi Station. Rabbit Island, officially Okunoshima, is an island that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Rabbit Island Today. The small island, which is also known as “Rabbit Island” (ウサギ島), can be reached by ferry from Tadanoumi (Hiroshima) or Omishima (Ehime). If you have a couple of days in Hiroshima prefecture I would put this in my top three … ■, ■The only Resort Hotel on the island, where you can dine on local delicacies. Some people, like the aggravated farmers of fables, might know the animals to eat carrots, lettuce, and cabbage, so that's the kind of food tourists bring with them to feed the animals when they visit. Unlike hardier animals like penguins, rabbits need to eat every day. Available in four colors. Tel. Rabbits are strongly territorial and will get bullied and beaten by local rabbits. DeMello and other researchers visited the island for 10 days in March 2015 to study the rabbit communities and interview people. However, we found out that there was another super-kawaii (cute) place – Okunoshima, also known as Usaga Jima, or Rabbit Island, because of the 1000+ cute furry critters that call it home. ■. After Japan surrendered, all the poison and most of the facilities were destroyed by the occupying Allies. You won’t see this on the boards there, so instead … We offer free original postcards to stamp on in exchange for the empty bags of our rabbit food purchased at the port. You can also rent a bicycle and fully explore the island using its bicycle track running along the 4km perimeter. ■ Rabbit photo albums from National Geographic Publishing. ■, ■ Please quietly watch over the rabbits and DO share your photos online.Let the world know about this mysterious enclave, Rabbit Island !! ■ Genuine Italian and Japanese leather. With its picturesque scenery of the Inland Sea, the island is now a National Park Resort and welcomes tourists from all around the world. But with high human interference, the island is not sustainable for the animals. This diet is poisoning the rabbits. This island is overrun with cute fluffy bunnies, waiting for visitors to come armed with treats. The history of Rabbit Island in Japan. ■ Free public Wi-Fi is available at the port. ■. ■, ■ Rabbits will become ill by eating our foodsuch as bread or snacks. ■, ■ By the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law, prior permission is needed from the Ministry of Environment to capture wild animals. Copyright © 2017 Kunoshima Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. But tourists have also been encouraged to feed the rabbits, especially in winter when food is particularly scarce. Around 1929, the Japanese government secretly tested poison gas on Ōkunoshima. The island of Ōkunoshima, situated off the coast of Japan in the East Sea, is home to hundreds of bunnies, earning it the nickname “Usaga Jima” or Rabbit Island… ■. However, there’s a dark story from World War II behind this picturesque island… Once there, tourists can interact with the rabbits, feed them, and pet them. ■ For details, ■Adorable rabbits and the dark history of the island --- I’m talking about Japan’s rabbit island; Okunoshima. Made in Japan. Only a 15-minute ferry ride from the mainland, the island is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. ■ All Kodama Shinkansen Super Express coming from both Hiroshima and Osaka stops at Mihara Station. Original rabbit items are available at the port gift shop. It is known to most of the world by its nickname, “Rabbit Island”. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Learn about Okunoshima's dark past, how it became the 'rabbit island' of Hiroshima, Japan, & what to be mindful when mingling with the rabbits. ■, ■ The hot spring is available at the hotel with towels available for visitors to rent. There are no predators on the island—only rabbits. ■ Gold stamped plastic folders with a rabbit silhouette. The warnings are written in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. ■, ■ Roads are busy with bicycles; while eating, rabbits are usually too focused and do not notice incoming traffic.By trying to escape at the last moment, they may run crash into bicycles or even vehicles. Some say that rabbits were released onto the island after the war to spot signs of poison gas leaks, just as caged birds were dropped down into constructing wells to see carbon dioxide concentrations back in the day. Please make sure to check under your car as they may stay even after starting the engine. Only a 15-minute ferry ride from the mainland, the island is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. Seventeen thousand of those tourists were from outside Japan. Historically, the island was nicknamed “Poison Gas Island”. You can of course swim in the sea during summer seasons. It’s a small island located in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, just off the coast from the town of Tadanoumi in the west part of the main island, Honshu. It goes well with sake. 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! ■ Cash (JPY) only. There are campsites, walking trails and places of historical interest on the island. ■, ■ Rabbits do not eat dampened pellets or spoiled vegetables. Dozens of fluffy, unbelievable cute bunnies will be eating from your hands, and jumping all over you, when you lie down. Rabbit Island: a Japanese holiday resort for bunnies Okunoshima, an island where Japan produced poison gas during the second world war, is now a … the two antithesis give the island a more mysterious touch. You need to register with The majority of the rabbits populate in the grass near the hotel, waiting to be fed and watered. When National Geographic reached out to the hotel for comment, the staff deferred to Japan's Ministry of the Environment. Not many can call this tourist attraction home, save the hundreds of feral European rabbits that roam the island. Its official name is Okunoshima but it’s better known as Bunny Island or Rabbit Island – a magical land just off the coast of Japan where over 1,000 bunnies run free, demanding snacks, cuddles, pats and selfies with the people who come to visit them every day. The island is a tourist destination for people who want to spend the day with cute animals. It’s a small island in the Seto Inland Sea called ŠŒkunoshima, two miles off the coast of the Japanese city of Takehara, in Hiroshima Prefecture. 500 yen per bag / day. ■Rabbit Island is a 15-minute ferry ride from Tadanômi Port with services leaving roughly every 30 - 45 minutes. Since then, other social media and clips showing swarms of rabbits have drawn visitors to the island. ■ Mugs with a rabbit silhouette,“Memories of Rabbit Island” written in French. Seki says that with the increase of tourists, the rabbits have become accustomed to humans. English speakers occasionally available upon request. No artificial additives within the cream. In 1925 the Japanese army initiated a secret program on the island to develop chemical weapons. There has never been a major decontamination operation on Rabbit Island after it was used for chemical testing, and residual toxins have poisoned the groundwater. ■Serving as a reference for departing ferry services, Rabbit Island is accessible by a 15-minute ferry ride from Japan’s mainland. Okunoshima is about 50 km from Hiroshima , easy to reach with a bullet train and ferry combo and making for a perfect day trip from the city. ■ Hint: it relates to the twelve horary signs of time. ■ A short-term luggage keeping service is available for your Rabbit Island trip. Also, rabbits cannot digest potatoes. The port is a 3-minute walk from Tadanoumi JR Station, which is a 25-minute train ride from Mihara Station on the magnificent coastal JR Kure Line. Open during ferry operating hours, 365 days. ■ Japan Rail Pass accepted up to Tadanoumi JR Station but not for ferry services. In addition to food, the rabbits have to rely on humans to give them bottled water. ■, ■ Water is scarce on the island, especially around the hotel. This ride itself is worth the trip, with stunning views of the Inland Sea and its many islands. The first is that a few pet rabbits were released by children when the islands were evacuated in the 1940s. ■, ■ The summit of Rabbit Island is well known for its 360-degree panoramic ocean view. Thanks to the fluffy creatures, Okunoshima is a popular tourist attraction. Rumors abound that a British couple brought the bunnies to the island, or a nearby school released them in 1971. For these reasons, rabbits are often considered "Excessive artificial intervention is undesirable. The animals also need high-fiber foods, which are hard to come by with their current meal plan. PLAN YOUR VISIT TO RABBIT ISLAND; The island had 136,000 visitors in 2005, which ballooned to 254,000 in 2015. A hot spring is available with towels available for visitors to rent. The ticket will tell you time, carriage number, sit number, name and number of the Train, and the flaform number is 14. We dare you to try our local seafood delicacy. Photos of this clock is popular with travel bloggers and writers. Please note that there is only one restaurant operating on the island along with a coffee shop. + 81 (0) 846 26 0853 "Individuals, I think, are doing not-so-fine.". a symbol of safe childbirth and the blessings of many children. 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. ■ Matcha / Vanilla / Mixed. Shower rooms and snack booths are available during summer seasons. an email address. Plans for what to do with the permanent residents of Rabbit Island are ambiguous as tourist numbers continue to rise. With their current diet, the rabbits might feast ravenously one day and starve later in the week, depending on the weather and school schedules, which influence tourism. Rabbits are usually surrounded by their large families and are known for their high fertility rate. Made in Japan. Many are also killed by people driving cars on the island. "They're totally friendly—almost aggressively so—because they need the people to feed them," DeMello says. Ōkunoshima is a small island nestled in the Inland Sea of Japan. 1-2-1, Tadanoumi, Takehara, Hiroshima, 729-2316, Japan boat ride to reach a paradise of rabbits. Although Okunoshima is mostly known for the rabbits that live there today, it is also a very site. By trying to escape at the last moment, they may run towards you. 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. "They're most active during the times when people are on the island.". Okunoshima island a.k.a. It is considered to be part of the city of Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. So kawaii! Rabbit Island, Japan, is not the sort of place you can just fly to, like Tokyo or Osaka. Home › Japan › Hiroshima › Tours › Rabbit Island Lapin (in French), Rabbit (in English), Usagi (in Japanese) 12 min. Rabbits living up on the hillside can feed off natural springs, however, for those around the hotel these pans are crucial for their survival. Tourists can reach this island by taking a ferry over from the mainland. Living in the wild means they have no access to vets in case of injury, therefore it is crucial they are left alone to minimise the risk of getting hurt. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. ■, ■ While eating food, rabbits are usually too focused. The color of the letters change according to the weather, reflecting the colors of the sky. Their numbers may be increasing as a whole, but single bunnies are struggling. "What you have is too many rabbits for such a small island," says Margo DeMello, president of the California-based rabbit rescue group House Rabbit Society. Rabbit Island is actually called ‘Okunoshima’, but it won’t be called that anymore in this post. Bringing your own food is advised during peak seasons. The rabbits are rather tame and will approach humans. ■ Rabbit tote bags with a stainless-steel medal curved out in rabbit silhouette. It was a small island that had been used during the war to produce the poison required for (illegal) chemical warfare. DeMello says the hotel is taking a hands-off approach to dealing with the animals but uses the draw of the rabbits in its marketing materials. ... Near Rabbit Island (Okunoshima) Nature. No one really knows how the rabbits got to the island in the first place. These days, though, it’s most often referred to by its nickname Usagi Jima, which translates to Rabbit Island and is so named for the hundreds of feral rabbits that call it home. Takashi Seki at the Ministry of the Environment visited the island about three years ago on government business. OFF THE COAST OF HIROSHIMA, JAPAN. a 2-meter rabbit wall clock is installed at the port. Rabbit Island also caters to collectors with creative methods for urban growing such as greenhouses, grow lights and planters. With overnight stays, you can observe their activities during the night, while fully enjoying the night sky away from artificial lights. Signs dot the island dissuading people from feeding the rabbits, picking them up, or chasing them, citing human safety as the main concern. In Japan, legend has it that at full moon you can see a figure of a rabbit pounding mochi rice cakes on the surface. Takehara Takehara-shi, Hiroshima-ken. Ōkunoshima (大久野島) is a small island in the Inland Sea of Japan. ■, ■ A 5-minute walk away from the hotel is the bathing beach. Also, you may incur expensive treatment fees later on as some rabbits may carry parasites or other diseases. ■ Tadanômi Port Management PLAN YOUR VISIT TO RABBIT ISLAND; THE MYSTERIOUS ENCLAVE OF 1,000 RABBITS OFF THE COAST OF HIROSHIMA, JAPAN. It is said that the thick historical wall besides the ticketing office at Tadanômi Port separated the port from the mainland during WWII. The water is said to have fatigue-relieving compositions. The hotel used to sell cups and bags of rabbit feed, but it has stopped this practice. Although Japan was a signatory to the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting chemical warfare, just two years later in 1927, a secret chemical weapons factory was built on Okunoshima. The island rabbits have a two-year life expectancy, but they could live up to 10 years if they were in a more typical domestic situation. ■ Genuine Italian and Japanese leather. She says the popularity of the bunny "stampede" video shifted the composition of the tourists from elderly Japanese people (drawn to the island's hot springs) and local school children (brought on fieldtrips to the poison gas museum) to a wider demographic. Warnings are written in Japanese, English, Chinese, and jumping all you. ■Rabbit island is overrun with cute fluffy bunnies, waiting to be fed and watered other. Was sometimes called `` poison gas on Ōkunoshima hours from rabbit island japan to reach Station! In the 1940s, ■ rabbits will become ill by eating our foodsuch as bread snacks. After starting the engine the Bus to the island hosts Kyukamura Ōkunoshima hotel, along with a beach,... Of our rabbit food near their nest means leaking the whereabouts of baby rabbits to their.! 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