My 30th birthday on japans rabbit island lines of escape. Its already in an outoftheway region of the country, and with no connecting bridges, the only way to get there is by boat. Are japans animal islands all theyre cracked up to be. Rabbit island also caters to collectors with creative methods for urban growing such as greenhouses, grow lights and planters. In this rabbit island pilot video, we visit okunoshima. Okunoshima, 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. 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. Rabbit island japan admin 11th april 2016 rabbit island japan 20161012t07. For the rabbits of rabbit island, their fame poses what some people caution is a growing threat to their survival. Kagawa has its cat island and tohoku has its fox forest, but did you know about hiroshimas rabbit island. But, since our itinerary was already sending us to hiroshima, rabbit island seemed to be the obvious choice, as its a perfect day trip from the city. There may be an unfortunate side effect of the newfound popularity of rabbit island. The link to this photo or video may be broken, or the post may have.
Tanja posted on april 2, 2017 april 6, 2020 hiroshima, outdoors japan 2 comments 10917 views. If youre planning on going, i have a few suggestions. Japan has an island full of rabbits but this small. While technically part of hiroshima prefecture, it is also quite close to ehime prefecture. Thanks to the fluffy creatures, okunoshima is a popular tourist attraction. Rabbit island attracts petloving tourists despite its dark past although it once housed poison gas factories, japans small island of okunoshima is now home to hundreds of friendly bunnies. However, theres a dark story from world war ii behind this picturesque island. Richard adamss 1972 book, watership down, is an epic about rabbits and. The rabbit island of okunoshima is in the hiroshima prefecture and although it is still some distance from osaka it is definitely closer than tokyo. See more ideas about japan, island, hiroshima japan. It was made primarily from boiled, cracked wheat hence its name, which derives from the latin word frumentum, grain. A japanese island is becoming a tourist hotspot for one reason only.
I advise you to plan a trip to the island if youre in japan, or are. Porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped starchy plants typically grains. These animal islands in japan might be what your are looking for. Now, its known as rabbit island, home to hundreds of cute bunnies. Rabbit island hiroshima private tours triplelights. Yakushima, one of japans southernmost islands before the okinawa. Viral videos blamed for endangering japans adorable. Located in the east seainland sea of japan, the small island was once the production site for japans chemical weapons during world war ii. We went to rabbit island and talked a lot on the way over and back. In some ways, the island of okunoshima, in western japans setonaikai inland sea, seems like a terrible vacation spot.
If you want to recharge before exploring the sights, todays your lucky day. Is it worth to visit okunoshima, the rabbit island in japan. The videos from japans okunoshima island are undeniably cute. Okunoshima, also known as rabbit island, in japan was o nce a top secret island used to manufacture chemical weapons during the second world war. Okunoshima, japans rabbit island the crowded planet. A rabbit forages for food at the beach on okunoshima island, feb. The rabbit island in japan is only accessible by ferry.
The first things to do on your itinerary when you arrive in hiroshima are going to be getting a good view of itsukushima shrine s giant torii gate and savoring a meal of large hiroshima. In the middle of the vast watery stretch that is lake superior sits rabbit island, 91 acres of rocks, earth, trees and wild habitat. Japans rabbit island in hiroshima is absolutely covered in rabbits. As a result, unless you have a lot of free time on your japan trip, or you simply have your heart set on visiting these places, id probably recommend against going to cat island japan.
Not just the rabbits, but also history tripadvisor. Only a 15minute ferry ride from the mainland, the island is a popular destination for tourists from around the world. Because the nation of japan is an extremely crowded one, and i am s. Gofio escaldado or escaldon a kind of thick porridge of canary islands. Though i am not of japanese origin nor am i an expert on japan, my guess would be that these islands of rabbits and cats are developed for the same purpose as the cat cafes are. Read on to find out everything you need to know to plan a trip to japans rabbit island. Japan is famous for its interesting relationship with animals. Its called rabbit island because of the thousands of feral rabbits that. Okunoshima rabbit island april 4, 2012 september, 2019 jjwalsh 63619 views 10 comments animal park, day trip, familyfriendly, kidfriendly, rabbits its not due to the shape of this island that it got the nickname of rabbit island but because it is completely overrun with the cute, fluffy bunnies.
There are campsites, walking trails and places of historical interest on the island. Great big story paid a visit to the famous okunoshima rabbit island in japan to learn why so many feral bunnies have made the beautiful, balmy isle their forever home and why they are as friendly as they are imagine an island filled only with rabbits. Heres howand whetherto visit japans cat island and. Loved rabbit island and was able to stop at had a wonderful day with mayumi. Okunoshima island takehara 2020 all you need to know. The rumors suggest that either the rabbits are the descendants of rabbits used to test the poison gas on, or they are descendants of. On this tour, ride the ferry out to bunny island from tadanoumi port, rent a bike to explore the island optional, watch the rabbits, and learn how the island. Okunoshima, otherwise known as rabbit island, is located in japans. Japans cat island and rabbit island are charming enough, but are not especially worth the effort it takes to reach both of them from their closest cities. Exploring japans rabbit island everything you need to. I hope you enjoy your adventures around japan feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about traveling with kids, vegetarian dining or anything specific to hiroshima.
If you have a couple of days in hiroshima prefecture i would put this in my top three places to visit. The interesting story behind the famous japanese island. The island was originally a wwii gas manufacturing plant. The link to this photo or video may be broken, or the post may have been removed. The rumors suggest that either the rabbits are the descendants of rabbits used to test the poison gas on, or they are descendants of pet rabbits released on the island. According to researchers who spoke with, all the visitors feeding the feral bunnies has led to an unsustainable population boom that has destroyed the islands ecosystem. The famed japanese island of okunoshima, perhaps better known as bunny island, has made its way back into the news again following the release of a video that shows a woman being chased by a horde of touristloving rabbits. The story behind the bunnies of japans bunny island. It is accessible by ferry from tadanoumi and omishima.
Viral videos are destroying japans supercute rabbit island. Rabbit island is real, peopleand its wonderful the site of a former poisongas factory in japan is now the home to a lot of fluffy bunnies. Everything you need to know about visiting okunoshima. Ive found the happiest place on earth, and theres not a mickey mouse in sight. Today the 700squaremeter 700,000 squaremeter island is home to more than 300 rabbits that roam freely, earning the nickname of usagi shima, or rabbit island. Okunoshima, also known as usagi shima rabbit island, is a small island with a dark history. Feral bunnies getting fed by tourists on rabbit island. What is the purpose of japan having a cat island and a. Finding echoes of japans ancient past, and of the woodlands of hayao. During world war ii, the japanese imperial army created poisonous. 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. Okunoshima, otherwise known as rabbit island, is located in the. The poison gas factory ruins located on okunoshima, hiroshima prefecture, japan. She worked very hard to do everything i asked and more.
There are no human residents on this island, but there are over 1,000 rabbits. Okunojima, also known as rabbit island, is an adorable and fascinating place filled with rabbits. Youll see for yourself when you check out our list of activites for rabbit island. The broken english conjured images of families wanting to return their pets to the wild, adding to my building.
Okunoshima is about 50 km from hiroshima, easy to reach with a bullet train and ferry combo and making for a perfect day trip. Stay 2 nights, the buffet is really good too no hasenpfeffer. Ok, so from hiroshima station you want to head to tadanoumi station. A grim military past on japans cuddly rabbit island.
Japan is known to have an inherent cute culture and rabbit island only adds to the cuteness overload by a thousand times. Similarly, what and when the rabbits are fed is wreaking havoc on their health resulting in only a twoyear lifespan. As of 2017, there were at least 305 breeds of domestic rabbit in 70 countries around the world. Okunoshima is often referred to by its nickname, usagi jima rabbit island in english. From hiroshima, we took the bullet train to mihara station, and then changed. Despite japan signing the geneva protocol in 1925 to ban the use of poison gas, the island was home. While visiting bunny island, many people choose to camp, but, if campings not your thing, the island also hosts a hotel. Jdlrobson via wikimedia commons this article originally. But beneath the cuteness the island holds a surprising and dark secret. 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. Zao fox village styles itself a fox sanctuary, devoted to preserving the fox species in its care. Getting to japans rabbit island getting to rabbit island is an easy task if you have the jr rail pass. In collaboration with a land trust, a conservation easement has been placed on the island, ensuring that it will remain protected forever. During world war ii the island was used as a poison gas facility.
Bunny island japan japans rabbit island okunoshima travel today were exploring japan s rabbit island, okunoshima. Heres howand whetherto visit japans cat island and rabbit. If you arent the kind of people to get all sad and brokenhearted, then its a cool. Apr 18, 2014 robert schrader japan is worldfamous for cuteness, from hello kitty, to pokemon. The island of okunoshima in japan was once a secret test site for chemical warfare. Okunoshima island japans island of bunnies pictures. The island has become a tourist attraction in recent years for its two major draws. Japanese island now populated by hundreds of bunnies the. Bunny island is named for its large population of wild rabbits and is an around 2hour journey from hiroshima.
Rabbit island provides a huge variety of rare and common plants for both serious and casual collectors. Rabbit island is real, peopleand its wonderful the. Bunny island and other awesome japanese attractions for. An article from 2016 warns that the influx of tourists feeding the rabbits has created an unsustainable explosion in population. How to get to rabbit island in japan sylvies suitcase. Okunoshima, also known as rabbit island, is a small island between shikoku and honshu. The cat islands of tashirojima and aoshima, and the rabbit island okunoshima, have large populations of feral cats and rabbits that roam freely on a predatorfree island. Rabbit island has never been divided or developed, nor will it ever be. You need to visit the island of okunoshima, in hiroshima prefecture. Okunoshima, a small island off the coast of japan, is where the japanese imperial army manufactured several tons of poison gas during world war iibut now the.
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