Ōkunoshima

i love rabbits and have wanted to visit here since i moved to Japan. i only went for a day trip since i couldn't reserve a room in the hotel on the island, but i would have loved to stay overnight just to spend more time with the rabbits. i went on a cloudy colder day so i wasn't sure if i would see any bunnies, but there were lots out and lots of people feeding them! they are very friendly and a lot of them seemed relaxed, which i was happy to see. you shouldn't pet them though because they are wild animals! i saw a lot of people petting them, and while the rabbits seem very sociable they also live outdoors. some of them are also in a little rough shape, and i saw some that had dirt crusted on their noses. there are piles of hay scattered around the island and water bowls for them to drink from, but they obviously appreciate the extra veggie treats that tourists bring. i brought some lettuce but if you go i would advise you to bring a lot, it was gone within 5 minutes!! there are also pellet treats available at the gift shop off of the island, before you get on the ferry. i highly recommend going if you're a rabbit lover, but even if you aren't i would go just to feed the bunnies since they depend on volunteers and tourists for food. the island is also pretty and has gorgeous views of the ocean, i would highly suggest going in the summer to get the best experience. the gift shop also has lots of adorable rabbit themed merchandise.

A magical island worth a visit. If you love rabbits and cool islands this is the place for you. Bring your swim trunks and check out the beach too. Get a bag of rabbit food from スーパーマミー which is not too far from the ferry.

Rabbits 🐇 + Nature 🌲. You can easily hike around the entire island, and climbing up is quite nice. Worth the trip if you're already in Hiroshima as it's one of those weird places that you'll just never see in the west, so make it a day trip. Just be sure to buy rabbit food beforehand as you can't get any on the island. Just don't miss the last boat back!!

PLEASE NOTE WESTERNERS. To prepare for your trip: you cannot buy anything on this island without cash. There is not much for sale but if you need water or return ticket you must have cash. Bring your own food for yourself and rabbits. You cannot buy that on the island. Also bring good walking shoes. There is an observatory with gorgeous views but it’s quite a climb. If you wish, you can go around the island on flat paved land, so it is wheelchair accessible. I travelled from Kyoto for a day trip. I left at 830am and got back at 8pm. It was worth it. I bought Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket to Fukuyama, then another from Fukuyama to Mihara. The train to Fukuyama arrives on the same platform as the one for Mihara leaves from. They are timetabled so that you do not need to wait for more than a few minutes. Same goes for the way back to Kyoto. So you do not need to allow for a long wait in Fukuyama. I bought the latest sensible return ticket for the day, Shinkansen tickets can be exchanged free of charge online for an earlier train which allowed me flexibility. The ticket between Fukuyama and Mihara is best to buy non reserved, this is only 15 minutes journey. There is a ferry from Mihara that takes around 40 minutes, you do not need to travel further. Take the ferry from Mihara. It’s very easy. You buy the ticket using a machine at the ferry terminal. It’s a 10 minute walk from the train station and takes no time at all to board, so can be done even if you just have 15 mins between train and ferry. Just walk fast. The island is definitely worth a visit. When I went I was the only white person I saw on the island. Please be at your best behaviour and people will be extremely nice to you. Go meet some bunnies!

most tourist heads to feed the rabbit at the more populated area, however there are some along the neglected trails circled in photo 1 that gets less attention. i super regretted finishing up my bag of lettuce on the chubbier rabbits at the non circled area. i was left with nothing when i encountered the skinnier rabbits along the circled path😭😭 (video 1~3), they all ran to the little tourist they see in hope for food (i never seen rabbits running like this to you at the non-circled area), but at this point most would had emptied out their slash on other rabbits they had fed earlier. i feel so bad not being able to feed them, i could only ask the only tourist behind me if he had food left to feed them, in which he isnt left with much too went on a rainy day and there was not much rabbits😢 some will come out to eat your veggies though many tourists also does not follow the island rules as attached in the last photo.. they would put food near the rabbit’s hole and leave.. this would put the rabbits in danger by telling predators where their nest are, so PLEASE pick up all leftover food.. a fine should be imposed for people who does not follow this rule really.. it is unlike cat island where most people picks up their trash.

Hundreds of friendly bunnies run up to you for food. Peaceful, cute, and surreal. Easy ferry ride, great for kids or animal lovers. Pro tip: Bring bunny-safe snacks—they’ll love you instantly.

Sooooo many cute bunnies 🐰🐰🐰🐰 It's great to come with proper bunny food and vegetable as those sold in souvenir shop is not that healthy

We visited Okunoshima on a hot summer's day in August. I recommend staying overnight in Tadanoumi as we did, then you only need to catch the ferry in the morning. You buy the ferry tickets from the vending machines by the pier. The ferry is 360円 one way, and you can buy your return ticket at the same time. It takes 15 minutes to reach the island. There is also apparently a ferry from Omishima, which is along the Shimanami Kaido. On both the large and small ferry boats, there are indoor seats and outdoor places to stand. We saw a lady lose her hat, so please secure your belongings! There are few restaurants on the island with limited hours, so please plan accordingly. You can visit the poison gas museum, visit other vestiges of the island's dark history, swim at the beach or pool, and of course see many cute rabbits. There is a free shuttle bus that can save you 10-20 minutes of walking. In the summer, the rabbits were mostly hidden in burrows, but many shelter under bushes and benches. They loved carrots and cabbage (you can purchase at supermarkets in Tadanoumi, cut up for you) but most were uninterested in cucumber or cherry tomatoes. You can also buy pellet rabbit food near the port, but I think it's better in the summer to give them food which contains moisture. I had brought water, but it was not necessary: there were many bowls of water for them on the island. We did see some parents allowing their children to break the island's rules. Let's all be respectful of these animals: - feed the rabbits (away from the road) but do not leave food behind for the rabbits to eat later. This feeds pests and reveals burrow locations to predators. - do not try to chase, hold, or pick up the rabbits.