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Ōkunoshima

Island · Takehara ·

Ōkunoshima

Island · Takehara ·
@atlasobscura
4,908 Postcards · 2,018 Cities

When Animals Are Not Where You’d Expect Them to Be

"Ōkunoshima, also known as Usagi Shima (Rabbit Island), is a small island with a dark history. Despite Japan signing the Geneva Protocol in 1925 to ban the use of Poison Gas, the island was home to a poison gas plant that made over six kilotons of mustard gas. The island was chosen for its secrecy and isolation and was even removed from some maps. After the war, the poison was disposed of and the laboratory animals were set loose. With no natural predators native to the island, they quickly spread and now there are hundreds of tame rabbits roaming around.  However, others assert that these are not the testing bunnies, but rabbits that were released just for the new park that developed on the island. In 1988, the two room gas plant was converted into the Poison Gas Museum and opened to educate the Japanese people about the role the island played during the Second World War. The island is also home to the Chusi Powerline Crossing, Japan’s largest electricity pylon. No cats or dogs are allowed on the island." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/animals-in-unexpected-places
Wikimedia (Creative Commons)

Information

Island with campsites, trails, historical sites, rabbits

poisonous gas manufacturing
world war ii history
hiking
ferry
ocean views
bioluminescent sea fireflies
wild boar
Google Rating
4.6 (1.4K)
Yelp Rating
4.0
Placeholder

Tadanoumicho, Takehara, Hiroshima 729-2311, Japan Get directions

Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by protenorageha/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by http://travelry.tumblr.com
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by protenorageha/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by gacha223/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia
Ōkunoshima by Ran Zwigenberg/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia (Public Domain Wikipedia)
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
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See full details

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Information

Island with campsites, trails, historical sites, rabbits

poisonous gas manufacturing
world war ii history
hiking
ferry
ocean views
bioluminescent sea fireflies
wild boar
Google Rating
4.6 (1.4K)
Yelp Rating
4.0
Placeholder

Tadanoumicho, Takehara, Hiroshima 729-2311, Japan Get directions

Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by protenorageha/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by http://travelry.tumblr.com
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by protenorageha/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by gacha223/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by alexisfong (Atlas Obscura User)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia
Ōkunoshima by Ran Zwigenberg/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia
Ōkunoshima by Wikimedia (Public Domain Wikipedia)
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
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Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
Ōkunoshima by null
See full details

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