Okunoshima (rabbit island)

Feeding time near the Okunoshima Shrine

Okunoshima, also known as Usagi (rabbit) Shima, is best known for the 300-400 wild bunnies that call the island their home.

Huddle of buns  



What is perhaps less well known is the tragic past of the island as a site for the manufacture of mustard gas during WWII. It was chosen for its remote location and left off maps to keep it a secret. During this dark period, rabbits were brought onto the island to be unfortunate test subjects of the poison gas. Some people think the rabbits now are descendants of those unfortunate bunnies, but there are also other theories. One popular one is that school children left 8 rabbits behind while on tour, and another is that the rabbits were brought onto the island to see if the island was once again fit for human habitation. 

Whatever the case, the bunnies are now here to stay, and we are so much the better for it haha. 

The various buns around the island. If you go during the high heat of day, you'll most likely find the bunnies lounging under trees or hiding under tables/ benches/ bus stops.

If Tokyo and Kyoto are on your destination maps, head to Okunoshima from Kyoto instead of Tokyo. It will take you approx 150 minutes from Kyoto (discounting waiting time) and around twice that time from Tokyo. From Hiroshima to Mihara, it is only 25 minutes (Shinkansen Kodama ). 

The journey from Kyoto will look something like this (I didn't take Shinkansen Nozomi as the JR pass doesn't cover these trains): 

1. Kyoto to Fukuyama (Shinkansen Hikari, 95 mins)
2. Fukuyama to Mihara (Shinkansen Kodama, 23 mins)
3. Mihara to Tadanoumi (JR Kure line, 20 mins)
4. Tadanoumi to Okunoshima (Ferry, 12 mins, 300Y)

From Kyoto to Mihara, my plan went without a hitch (even for disaster prone travellers like me, because the Shinkansen is the smoothest running system and there are English translations). My waiting time at Fukuyama to catch the next leg to Mihara was only 13 minutes. Just a note of caution that the Shinkansen leave strictly on time, and the times you see are departure times rather than when the train pulls into the station, so make sure you are on the train before the set time. If you are fairly spontaneous / don't tend to stick to schedules, the JR pass is a life saver as you don't have to be at stations at set timings, and can sit in non-reserve carriages without having to queue.

If you do want to plan carefully, Hyperdia is a wonderful resource. 

I had orignally gotten a reserved ticket, but had overbudgeted my time, and hopped onto a train a whole hour earlier. This meant I had no reserved seat. When I realised to great sadness that there was no more free window seat, I decided to go into the first available car with window seats. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the smoking car, which was also a green car. JR passes don't let you get on green cars as these are premium carriages with plusher seats. When the train conductor came round and realised this, he gently urged me to go back to my proper seat and even got me a reserved seat. But, it was an aisle seat. So (I know this is terrible), I was like thanks but no thanks and continued in that carriage, moving a few seats away from a man who was continuously smoking. When the conductor came back, instead of being rightly appalled at me, he very kindly found me a window seat in another carriage (I think he was also concerned about me being in the smoking carriage, rather than me simply being in a green car). He also very gamely posed for a photograph after I thanked him profusely (and with more than a tinge of shame).

Upon reaching Mihara, I realised my mistake. Having come from Tokyo, I was lulled into a false sense of security that the JR trains practically come every 5 minutes or less. I was also spoilt by the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto which runs at least once every half hour. This is most certainly not the case at Mihara. The JR Kure line from Mihara to Tadanoumi run only once every hour. Don't make the same mistake as me and please check the timetable for the the JR Kure line. 

I realised I had around 40 mins to kill (40 mins which I could have spent on sleep in Kyoto), so I went to the well placed Mihara tourist office (right at the train station, like all good Japanese tourist offices). I was so happy when I read the brochure that there was an attraction right beside the train station: the Ruins of Mihara Castle.  



Attractions in Mihara. The ruins of the castle are at number 18.



In truth, the name glamourises it somewhat. It is a low fortress surrounded by a small moat and on top of the fortress is little plateau which is now a part and you can walk around in 5 mins or less. Now, I'm not saying Mihara doesn't have other attractions, but it is just that you can't reach these in the waiting time for a train. Still, I'm pretty positive so I enjoyed my waiting time by seeing the small park and eating some local food.

Following this, I went back to the platform. But, to my surprise this train was not punctual like all other Japanese trains. When it was 10 mins late I began to panic and went to ask the JR office. It was only then that they told me: the train from Mihara to Tadanoumi is only two carriages long. This means that it only occupies the very front of the platform. I was standing on the other end of the platform, so I missed it. This would entail another hour's wait. 

Fairly desperate by then, I decided to take a taxi. If, like me you want to consider this, please note that a taxi will set you back around SGD$60, which is fairly steep if you consider that the JR pass would have gotten you there for free. The reason is that the path to Tadanoumi is a winding one along small streets (I got caught behind a lorry, too bad for me). I consoled myself that it was a scenic road as it wound by the sea, and the Seto Inland Sea is really beautiful. Then my positivity kind of ran out when I saw the train tracks winding by the sea too, on the outside of the road. Ah well, I think the exchange of money for time can sometimes be very worth it, especially when you are short of time. 

 Tadanoumi is a sleepy, picturesque, sea side town with plenty of fisheries.

The taxi dropped me off at the train station, and from the train station to the ferry terminal it is a 5 minute walk at a fairly brisk pace.

These directions are pasted on the window across from the train conductor's office at Tadanoumi.

When I got to the ferry terminal I saw a ferry, was delighted, and ran on. Apparently you are supposed to buy a ticket at the terminal, but the people are so nice they accept cash at the door.  

This is the ferry schedule. The first column is the departure time from Okunoshima (大久野島). 

In Japan, try to save the Japanese names of the places/ restaurants you wish to go to, as some places do not have English translations.

This is the schedule for trains departing from Tadanoumi. Again, check out Hyperdia for more info.

Another thing you are supposed to buy at the ferry terminal, which I did not realise to my great detriment, is rabbit food. It was only when I got to the island and enquired with the shop at the resort that I was told: no rabbit food is sold on Okunoshima itself. This was really bewildering as I'd read some guides which said it does. So I was empty handed. Buy your rabbit food before getting on the island to be safe. They like pellets, but they also will eat lettuce (two heads of lettuce should sustain you) and carrots. 



While it doesn't sell rabbit food, the shop sells plenty of rabbit trinkets.

Without rabbit food, I managed to charm (trick) some rabbits to come near to me, but without food, they're not really interested. The bunnies are really quite friendly and will bound up to humans (food sources) but I realised that they don't like to be petted. Very unlike my bun at home who lives to be petted on the head. I guess it's because they are still wild animals. They will, however, interact with you for food. 

Therefore, I needed to get food. In a sad state, I went around begging for food, and the first people I encountered told me that they didn't have enough food for themselves so they refused to sell me any. Disheartened, I went on a hike up to the lighthouse on the south of the island. 

So, the ferry will drop you off at the second pier, and if you want to get to the first pier, there is this bus on the island (timed to coincide with ferry drop offs) that will bring people to the resort/golf course. To circumnavigate the island on foot (4.3 km) will take, according to the tourist map, 1.5 hours at a slow clip. I didn't do the walk around as I was pretty tired by that time (my daily routine involved getting up at 6-8am and walking all day only to get back home at 11-12pm).  

Map of Okunoshima: the 1st ferry pier, the resort, lighthouse and the poison gas museum are all to the south of the island

The hike I took was close to the resort, and went down to the beach (which I understand is a popular camp site in the summer). If you want to go to the poison gas museum (highly recommended), then you may wish to take the bus to the resort, though in truth, between ferry piers it is an easy 20 mins walk. 

The hike to the lighthouse was beautiful and afforded stunning views of the Seto Inland sea.

More importantly for me, on the way I happened to meet a very nice Japanese couple who gave me some rabbit food and refused to take payment. Armed with the food, I could then become a rabbit magnet. So I happily exited the hiking trail (there were not many buns on the trail, I think they are quite deterred by the steps that led up). 

Simply waving the food around will attract a large crowd of hungry buns, who will stand up on their hind legs for food (so cute!) and climb into your lap, or up tables and chairs just to get at the food you are offering.   

These buns heard the rustling of the food and hurried on over

One of the happiest moments of my day was when I spotted a baby bunny in the undergrowth. It was SO CUTE and had a little white fur diamond on its forehead:

And then, I spotted the baby bun's sibling! At first, it was all shy in its burrow. I crept in slowly (you can't tell from the pictures, but I was literally scrambling on my hands and knees in the undergrowth, my legs on the sand and my hair caught in the branches), hoping to gain its trust. And it worked! The little one hopped out, sniffed my food (I think it is too young for adult rabbit food) and chinned my hand! Chinning, for those unfamiliar with rabbits, is a way the rabbit marks its territory (with a scent gland under its chin), and if a rabbit chins you, it is claiming you as its own, so consider it a sign of affection!

Bunnies have the cutest butts!

Apart from the buns, which are the island's main draw, I would say that the Poison gas museum is very worth a visit, even though not every exhibit has an English translation. The entrance fee for adults is 100Y. In true Japanese fashion, you buy tickets at a vending machine, and they trust that visitors will purchase the tickets before entering (there is no one manning the counter to make sure people buy the tickets). Photography is not allowed in the museum.



Outside the museum though, photography is okay (I would think).

This is the vending machine right outside haha

I had some rather mixed feelings in the museum. On the one hand, all our history lessons involved some discussion of the Japanese occupation in Singapore, and how it was a terrible time for our people, so to some extent seeing the equipment used in the manufacture of the gas actually made me quite angry. This was especially so when I read things like how some of the employees reacted when they heard that Japan had lost the war, and I quote "Some said the Japanese army should have made better use of the poison gas". On the other hand, the museum clearly denounced the use of poison gas as a weapon, and appealed for peace, which I was quite touched by. Just outside the museum, there are a number of artworks donated by schoolchildren making the same appeal, and there are also the beautiful Japanese  origami cranes which symbolise the desire for peace.



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To sum up my top tips for tourists: 

•  Trains in Japan are super punctual, and the timings on your ticket are departure rather than arrival times, so be there early! Particularly if you are taking a non-reserved seat, you may need to queue to be assured of a seat. 
• To get from Kyoto to Okunoshima: (i) take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Mihara, (ii) the JR Kure line from Mihara to Tadanoumi, and the ferry from Tadanoumi to Okunoshima.
• The entire trip (without waiting time) will take you approx 150 minutes.  Be on the safe side and budget for more time.
• The ferry costs 300Y, the rest of the journey will be covered by the JR pass. 
• The JR Kure line from Mihara to Okunoshima runs only once an hour, so it is a good idea to check the train timing beforehand.

• The train is only two carriages long, so stand at the start of the platform. 
• Buy rabbit food before arriving on the island, as rabbit food is not sold on the island. 
• The poison gas museum on the island is also worth a visit, It costs 100Y and will take you around 20 minutes to cover. 
• Be kind to the bunnies and have a great time!