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.



-----

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!  

Boracay, famed for it's white beaches and clear turquoise waters, certainly lives up to it's billing.

Getting there: 

Before we had the relaxing waves of Boracay roll over us, we had plans to get there in Amazing Race style and enjoy a triumph over the scores of other travellers (pointless competition, check). Your route will be as follows: airport --> tricycle to ferry pier --> ferry ---> tricycle (to your resort in Boracay). 

Top tip: after landing at Caticlan, you will need to register, and you can purchase all the tickets you need at the registration counter on the right-most side. The tickets required are the following: (i) tricycle to the ferry pier and ferry pier ticket: 75 php for both, (ii) environmental fee: 75 php, (iii) terminal fee: 100 php. Total: 250 php. 

When departing from Caticlan airport (even on domestic flights), you will need to pay 200 php per person in cash, so make sure to set this amount aside. 

Where to stay: 

The island map is roughly like this:

Most people stay at Station 1, 2 or 3. Station 1 has the more upscale places and Station 3 is developing in the same direction. I may be a bit biased but I'm convinced that Station 2 is the life of the party in Boracay.  This website agrees.

We stayed at Frendz Resort, located between Station 1 and Station 2. This resort really ought to have the tagline "There are no strangers here, only friends you have never met." Incidentally that is the tagline in the photograph near the locker area of the gym I go to. Amusing/inspiring/slightly creepy? You decide.

Anyway, back to Frendz Resort. Great place, located only a two minute walk away from the beach. So it's not a beachfront property but still extremely close. Lodging options are hostel dorms or private rooms in cabana-style living. Simple but clean. There is an air conditioning a fan option. The former will cost you 200 php more a night.  It is super hot in Boracay so we chose air conditioning. Wi-fi is available at the common area but also in the rooms located close to that area (like ours!).

The best thing about the place is the beach chairs provided free for the use of guests at Frendz (it kills me to use this spelling so many times). They also provide beach towels. 

The view from the beach chairs - pretty sweet right. 

If you're minded to make friends or travelling alone, Frendz is great! Within seconds of having our welcome drink (just juice, nothing fancy, but a nice touch), we were chatting with a German girl who was on her third trip to Boracay and was there for two whole weeks! 

What to do:

1.       Relax on the beach.

Obvs. Sunscreen and after-sun lotion are must-haves and can be purchased at D'Mall if you run out.  

The sunset on our last day was beautiful

Which in turn allows for beautiful pictures like this

2.      Beach activities.

If, like me, you suffer from the "itchy backside" syndrome and feel a constant need to DO THINGS and SEE THINGS, after a couple hours of lazing, you'll be raring to go. Thankfully, there is plenty to do in Boracay.

(a)       Paid activities  

·        From diving to ATV tours around the island to banana boat rides, to zorbing and sunset cruises and parasailing, to dragon-boating and stand-up paddling, the range of activities is amazing. After a very short while, you'll become well-acquainted with the gamut of activities, as beach boys will keep coming up to you to push their activities. Top tip: bargain! The sunset cruise started at a price of 6,000 php (whattttt?!) and got bargained down to 300 php. Zorbing started at a price of 1,000 php and went down to 600 php.   

·        Cliff jumping at Ariel’s Point! For more on this awesome activity, see my post here.  

·        Kitesurfing. My sis and I considered this but ultimately did not try it.  We spoke to our friends from Frendz and learnt that it takes around a week’s worth of lessons to be able to stand comfortably, whereas we only had 3 days in Boracay! Guests of Frendz get a discount at Hagabat Kiteboarding.  

·        Be a mermaid! You can rent a tail  from Fisheye Divers (Station 2), take photographs to your heart’s content (700 php for half an hour) or go for swimming lessons (1,500 php for two hours)! For more info, visit the website here. I saw a group of college students don tails and proceed to, without any sense of irony, star in an MTV of the Little Mermaid's 'Part of Your World’. One of the girls proclaimed loudly, ‘dreams really do come true!’. Sadly, not for me as my sister refused to be a mermaid with me and I didn’t quite want to be Ariel by my lonesome self. For the men, you are also welcome to be mermen – I saw this dad sweetly accompanying his little girl on her mermaid swimming lessons.

·         Get a massage. Options: massage on a beach chair for 200 php or inside a beach front establishment (much nicer!) for 350 php for an hour. They are likely to give you an opening price of 400/450 php but will not go below 350 php.

·         Yoga. There is something incredibly calming for mind and body about doing yoga on the beach.  Between Station 1 and Station 2 (closer to the Station 1 side) there is a lady who offers morning yoga classes on the beach (7:30 – 8:30am) for 500 php.  She lays mats on a towel, so your session will be sand free.  Or, if you are comfortable enough in your practice, you can simply practice yoga on your own.  Top tip: bring a lightweight large scarf instead of a beach towel if you intend to practice yoga.  The scarf is less likely to trap sand.  I tried both options (towel on the left, rolled up scarf on the right) and much preferred the scarf. 

·         Shopping! We would not be Singaporean if we did not like to shop. The amusingly-named D'Mall (think 'The Mall') is located at Station 2. This features a whole string of food options (which are significantly cheaper than those on the beachfront), chic boutiques and so many tourist shops that allowed us to get our kitsch on.

  

 A nice little boutique

My sis and I both somehow understood mall to mean an air-conditioned tower block but D'Mall is more of a cluster of shops down a network of small streets. Still for city slickers it is fun to be close to civilisation after a day at the beach. Importantly, if you're like us and prone to running out of money, there are money changers available.

There is also E’Mall, located at Station 3. This has a Mango outlet. Personally, I found the range of clothes rather small, and the discounts not too attractive, but we still managed to snag some items. E’Mall is, in my view, not as exciting as D’Mall as the shops are mainly touristy shops instead of little boutiques.

(b)      Free activities

·       Explore the beach. There is a rocky outcrop known as Willy’s Rock which is located around Station 1. As devout Catholics, the local people built a statue of the Virgin Mary and turned the rock into a shrine. It is extremely picturesque.

·       There is also self-conducted yoga, as mentioned above, or you can join the dragon-boaters in their fairly gruelling warm-up routine. We saw a tourist join in for kicks. He looked pretty winded after a while.  Or, you can generally frolic. 

If I could jump like this boy, I would never walk. I would just jump all the time.

What to eat/drink:

We LOVED Backyard BBQ (at D'Mall) for its pulled pork so much we went there twice. While we didn't eat the prawns the table next to us ordered them and they looked uh-mazing.  

For cheap eats, you can't beat Andok's Litson. It serves up decent (though not fantastic) Filipino fare for good prices.

Top tip: while coconunts (buko) are ubiquitious in Boracay, these are ESPECIALLY yummy when in the form of Buko Shakes (comprising coconut juice, flesh and milk blended together with some sugar). The health conscious can request for less sugar. The Green Buko which serves up the yummy buko shakes can be found at the front of '888 Seafood' within D'Mall.

There is a strange exhilaration that comes with putting your life in a controlled kind of danger. Obviously I don't mean freewheeling danger; that is both insane and not very much fun. I'm looking for terrific not terrifying. 

With the good kind of danger comes that great kick of adrenaline to trigger the fight or flight instinct. When you're standing on a ledge leading out to sea, looking at your toes peeking over the board into the gulf of nothing before the inevitable crash into deep water, this fight or flight instinct translates into JUMP or run back off the board.

Then comes the internal fight to steady your pounding heart and to convince yourself to take the leap. The other guys at Ariel's Point told me not to think so much, but I disagree. The thinking, even the wavering, is the best part. It is the struggle before the leap that makes surfacing after a completed jump feel SO AMAZING. Because you did it. Because you did it even though you were afraid. And that is a microcosm of what makes living worthwhile. 

My peace sign here hides the fact that I was rather scared even though I don't usually have a fear of heights. 

And.... LEVITATION. 

So, the sis and I headed to Ariel's Point,  a small island off Boracay with the requisite steep cliffs and deep waters to tempt crazies like us to go.

There are 5,10 and 15 metre boards. All guests are encouraged to test out the lower boards before going for the high one. This lets you get a feel of the water impact (spoiler alert: it kind of hurts if you don't jump right!).  Of course, crazies like us just had to go for the 15 metre board. My upbringing (or perhaps innate personality) tells me: if I can challenge myself I MUST DO IT. 

The most important part of the jump - besides having the guts to actually jump - is how to nail the landing. The best way to land is feet first - the feet are the toughest part of the body. I had all these grand ambitions of doing a karate kick jump or a dive. The latter I executed but ended up doing a partial flip and while I jumped in well (head-first) I must have over balanced as I hit the water squarely on my back and wound up gasping for air and in some degree of shock. Nothing too much to overcome, and when I hauled my sorry self back up, other concerned travellers asked me if I was okay - they heard the loud 'piak' sound as I unglamorously hit the water. So if you want to dive head first, make sure that you get a clean entry, also vertically, but with your hands.Don't let the first point of impact be your precious head!

That falling shape above is me, in what is probably the safest (i.e. least painful) way to jump, though it doesn't make for the prettiest pictures. Wrap your arms around yourself, and spring off, keeping your body vertical so you get a feet first entry. On my first attempt, I didn't sufficiently engage my core and ended up getting a butt-first entry. Very. Very. Painful. And I have the burst capillaries on my poor body to show for it. Not a good idea. 

After each jump, you have to climb up a little ladder, and a series of gentle steps to get back up. And if you're jumping from the 15 metre board, you'll have to do a little swim to get to the steps. Nothing too strenuous if you are an okay swimmer. 

The price is, like the cliffs, pretty steep: 2000 php (60 sgd) per person. But this price tag comes with free flow drinks, which include water, beer and spirits. I'm certain some people in our group made up that cost solely in alcohol! We tried to go easy on the drinks till after getting some jumps in though some people took the drinks for Dutch courage haha. It's best not to drink too much as cliff jumping is inherently dangerous. The briefing in the morning solemnly mentioned that "fatalities" were not covered. Thankfully, none of that happened that day. Not a broken anything in sight either. Bruises, though, another story. 

As a part of the package, snacks in the form of fruits and deep fried sugary sweet potatoes are provided, as well as a fantastic buffet lunch.

Us happily eating the bbq buffet lunch while our new friend reclines in a hammock after the morning's adrenaline rush. 

Following lunch, no one was mad enough to start jumping right away and the Ariel's Point folk know this, so they provide snorkelling gear and kayaks (included in the price). 

We did a couple more jumps each then called it a day. 

Leaving you with a last pic of an awesome jump! This guy still managed a vertical entry into the water after the backflips. 

----

To sum up our top tips for tourists: 

• Check out the Ariel's Point website
• Check if your resort can book an Ariel's Point trip for you, ours did. 
• If they can't, head over to the Boracay Beach Club (Station 1, map here)
• Total cost per pax: 2000 php. They only accept cash. 
• If you stay at The Boracay Beach Club, it'll cost you 1700 php
• Cancellation policy: cancellations before 0900 of the day of your trip will give you a full refund. Otherwise, there will be a levy of 500 php. 
• The boat to Ariel's Point leaves at 1130 and returns at 1630. The boat ride takes half an hour either way, so that gives you 4 hours of activity time.
• The Ariel's Point package includes: 
• Lunch (barbecue buffet) 
• Snacks (watermelon and deep fried sweet potatoes)
• Free flow drinks (beer, cocktail mixes and water) from the time you get on the boat, to the time you disembark 
• Snorkels (no fins) 
• Kayaks (both single and double kayaks) 
• CLIFF JUMPING (of course!)
• Tips for jumping: 
• Start with the lower jumps to build confidence. 
• Just walk up, take a breath and go! Lingering on the ledge or looking down will cause a loss of confidence. 
• Go in feet first. The easiest way to do this is the wrap your hands around your body, or to raise your hands straight up. Tighten your core and keep steady. 
• HAVE FUN!