Island Where 1,000 Rabbits Live: Ohkunoshima

It takes about 15 minutes by boat from Tadanoumi Port in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. This small island, with a circumference of about 4 km, was once called “the island wiped off the map” due to the existence of a poison gas factory. The island is now designated as a national park and is known for its about 1,000 rabbits, which attract many tourists, both domestic and foreign, looking for a place to relax.

An Island wiped off the map

In the past, a large amount of poison gas weapons were manufactured on Ohkunoshima during the war. In order to hide the fact that poison gas was being manufactured there, the area around Ohkunoshima was treated as a blank area on the maps published by the army, which is why it was called “the island wiped off the map”. Rabbits were the animals used to test the killing power of this poison gas. Since rabbits have skin similar to that of humans, about 200 rabbits were brought to the island to conduct experiments on them.

The island of rabbits

With the end of the war, Japan entered an era of rapid growth.
With the popularization of tourism and the safety of the island, it was decided to develop it as a national vacation village. The rabbit was chosen as the mascot of the island. The rabbits have been breeding and breeding ever since, and it is said that there are now about 1,000 rabbits living on the island!

Popular among Tourists

It was in 2013 that the island, known as “Rabbit Island,” began to gain the popularity it enjoys today. A video of a herd of rabbits rushing a foreign woman visiting the island was posted on YouTube, and the video was later picked up by media including magazines and TV programs, starting with a Hong Kong newspaper, making the island famous all over the world. It is said that foreigners from Asia, Europe, the United States, and Australia account for a quarter of the tourists.

Furthermore, the rabbits that live on Ohkunoshima are European rabbit. They are the same species as Peter Rabbit!

Come and visit Ohkunoshima!

Designated as a Seto Inland Sea National Park in 1950, Ohkunoshima is a small island with a circumference of about 4.3 km in the Seto Inland Sea. There are no houses here, only the “Vacation Village Ohkunoshima” for accommodation. It’s just too cute to imagine that there are so many Peter Rabbits running around when you get off the island! You should definitely visit!