Ōkunoshima — Attraction in Takehara

The island is indeed beautiful. Stunning views. Cute, playful, and mischevious rabbits.

However...

(A) Rabbits near the ferry piers/resort are over-fed. The ones one the hills and at the northern-edge are under-fed. However, I am not sure which is worse. Because tourists seem to lack any idea and have done no research on what nutrients rabbits need. And the island authorities also seem to not care to educate beyond basic facts like dont pounce on the rabbits. The rabbits get mostly carrots or cabbage - which doesnt give them enough nutrients. They seemed weak. Some were sick.

(B) The days I went were insanely hot (36-37 deg C). The water pans are too far off for various rabbit colonies. Not all rabbits had access to water. Some were panting and showed red ears - heat-stroke symptoms. Not that there arent shady areas - but the rabbits were weak to move around.

Only key areas - visitor center/resort, etc had clean water pans. Many pans near the hills/hiking trails/northern edge - were empty/ filled with mouldy/dirty water. Rabbits dont like mouldy/dirty water. I did try replenishing some. But sadly, couldnt do it all - wish I had the strength to carry all the water the rabbits need every where in the island. One little rabbit was so thirsty that it was drinking straight out of the water bottle as I was pouring into the pan....it couldnt even wait until the water touched the pan.

And I saw a dead rabbit near one of the tennis courts - it was heart breaking!

And for heaven's sake some tourists are stupid to drop cabbages/carrots into the water pans with water...making things only worse for the little rabbits. I wish tourists were better educated about rabbits - their eating, drinking and sleeping habits.

The tourist information cards specifically requests tourists to replinish water in pans. Hardly saw ANY tourists do this. I wish people who visit are a bit more humane or at least sensible. Of course, first world ideas on animal rights doesnt exactly register in Japanese culture, I guess. Nevertheless...if we go there to click photos with animals for OUR entertainment - we might also have the sense to go about this whole cute-culture drama with a bit more humaneness.

(C) There is hardly ANY grass for the rabbits - except on the camp ground, perhaps. Which means that the rabbits which got into the camp ground happily were chomping away all night. I was happy to stay awake all night to the chomps of bunnies. But these rabbits were also exposing themselves to camp ground "dangers" - human food/stove fires, etc. Some were curious and wanted to eat my food - and had to push them away - gently, of course. Really request people who go there to bring lots of hay...healthier rabbit food (a mix of pellets, green leafy veggies, etc. are better than just carrots and cabbages)...and replenish water pans with fresh water! PLEASE!

If we show a bit more care, the bunnies can enjoy our company and we, in turn, can enjoy their...

This was a great experience. The rabbits charge at you the moment you get off the ferry. You can then walk the island at your own leisure. The rabbits are literally everywhere. Get your camera ready to snap them as they stand on their hind legs begging for food. Allow yourself a good hour at least to enjoy yourself. You can walk around the entire island if you like but it may take longer. Here are some points I picked up.

Plan your trip. The wait for the ferry can be excruciating and there is nothing to do in the vicinity. The buses and trains to the ferry port run in a very sporadic pattern. We ended up catching a cab from Mihara station which cost around 5,000 Yen. The weekends are ideal as there are more services to the island. There is a massive break between the 12:00 and 2:00 Ferry on weekdays. Try and avoid arriving at this time. Get familiar with the timetable. The staff on the mainland or the island do not speak any English and are not helpful at all. You need to just go to the souvenir shop and get your tickets from the machine using cash only. Buy lots of pellets or other food BEFORE getting to the island. Don't ask me why but they don't sell any food on the island. We bought 10 bags as a family and we ran out pretty quickly, mind you the kids were throwing them around. Do NOT buy them from the souvenir shop as there is a tiny shop next door that sells them for half the price. When you get off the ferry everyone turns left towards the poison gas museum. There is a fee and I didn't bother going in. You are better off turning right and finding the military building. You will more than likely have the place to yourself and directly opposite the structure there a number of rabbit warrens on the wall. If you are feeling adventurous and no one is around hop over the fence and walk into the building. It is quite a cool photo spot. Just check out my photos. I will attach them to Google. Take soap and/or disinfectant. It is hard to find any from the time you land in Mihara. You can actually camp here so check what you need if you are the camping type. There is also a beach if you...

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...