Okunoshima and Osaka

Okunoshima - Rabbit Island

28.12.2022

The next morning I woke up early for a special tour. You may have notice there are certain animals I take a special interest in. Sharks, seals and... bunnies. And Japan has a whole island full with them. No one really knows where they came from, but with the lack of natural predators they blossomed. Now Okunoshima is full with them. Good reason to come visit, then!

Since my planning wasn't very smart, I started the trip from Osaka, which is a bit far away. I took the Shinkansen at 8:44, arrived in Fukuyama and switched to a local train and another local train afterwards. Highly recommending taking the JR Kure-Line from Mihara to Tadanoumi though - it runs right next to the sea, tiny bits of beach stretching into beautifully turquoise water. Amazing - I think I stepped into a Ghibli movie there for a second.

Sea for yourself: ▶ (pun intended)

When I finally arrived in Tadanoumi it was already noon and I sadly missed the ferry. So I explored some of the little town, bought an apple at a local grocery store, grabbed lunch from the Konbini and waited for the next ferry, scheduled to leave at 2 pm. Bitter to lose so much time, but well. I had enough time to check out the cute bunny merch at the store.

Finally the time has come - the ferry takes us to the cutest island ever. Welcome to Rabbit island!

Adorable bunnies everywhere! As soon as you rustle with your bag of bunny food they come looking and begging for a snack. But Okunoshima doesn't only have cute little fluffy residents, it's also got a dark secret. During wartime, the island was a secret manufactory for poison gas. Many ruins still remind of these dark times.

"I enjoyed Rabbit Island a lot ❤️ getting there (and back) wasn't easy, but it was worth it. The bunnies are adorable. And especially later in the evening they come running towards you as soon as they see you 🐇❤️ It's nice that they have their freedom on their own island.
It comes with a downside tho. There's not much food on the island, so they mostly get fed dried pellets food. Usually bunnies eat lots of grass, and while chewing, the friction keeps their teeth in check. That doesn't work with these pellets, so the teeth keep growing until the bunny can't properly eat anymore. Sadly I found 2 buns with severe teeth problems 😢😭 One couldn't gnaw anymore so I picked a carrot into small pieces and handfed it, he was so hungry...Poor little bun. I just hope they don't suffer long... One could say, nature takes care of the weak anyway, and without the island and the visitors' food they wouldn't be able to survive for so long, but it still breaks my heart to see them suffer... 😭 💔"

So I want to use this chance for some important bun info:

Bring fresh food (like salad, cabbage, leaves/branches from fruit trees,...) rather than buying pellets. Make sure to only feed small portions, so leftovers don't rot on the ground.
Don't try to pick up bunnies
Like these little fluffers? Learn more about them: Bunny Info Kaninchenwiese / Instagram

Fukuyama

The shinkansen platform in Fukuyama offers a perfect view of Fukuyama castle, glowing with beautiful illuminations.

Osaka

Back in Osaka, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at The Bridge Hotel. Afterwards, I went to explore the Umeda area. Had some yummy sweet potato, explored the nearby stores and went on the ferries wheel. The view was beautiful, and I love the bright red colors! I wanted to try and see if there still were evening tickets for musical Elisabeth, but no such luck. No Musical for me.