Visiting Ōkunoshima aka Rabbit Island, Japan

If you like both Japan and rabbits then you have to visit Ōkunoshima, aka Rabbit Island. Situated in the Seto Inland Sea, on Ōkunoshima you can explore beautiful scenery, learn about the island’s wartime history, and of course, pet all the rabbits that are waiting for you to feed them with bunny chow. 

(I’m going to use ‘Ōkunoshima’ throughout this article, but if you’re doing your own research and come across ‘Usagishima’, it’s the same place – ‘Usagi shima’ literally translates as ‘rabbit island’ in Japanese).

Getting to Ōkunoshima

If you’re travelling along Japan’s Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima), Hiroshima is the closest city to Ōkunoshima. I wouldn’t bother travelling from Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka as it’s at least an 8-hour round trip, although there is a hotel on the island if you want to stay overnight.

There are a few options if you’re travelling from Hiroshima to the Ōkunoshima ferry terminal in Tadanoumi. The easiest way is the direct bus route from Hiroshima station to the Tadanoumi eki mae stop. However, if you prefer travelling by train or have a JR Pass, you can also get the Tokaido-Sanyo shinkansen to Mihara, and then get on the Kure line train; alternatively you can take the JR Sanyo line to Hiro station and change there.

Regardless of which transport option you use, the journey from Hiroshima station to Tadanoumi takes around 2 and a half hours. 

Once you get to Tadanoumi station, it’s a very short walk to the ferry terminal. 

Board the ferry at Tadanoumi

At the ferry terminal you can purchase tickets to Ōkunoshima. Adult passenger rates are very cheap – they’re around $3-4 USD/ £2-3. You can also pick up some adorable souvenirs and of course, bunny food. Note that this is the only place to purchase rabbit food – you can’t get any on the island. 

Speaking of food… although there are vending machines there is only one restaurant on the island so it’s worth bringing along some snacks. There’s a FamilyMart a little walk from Tadanoumi station if you need it although I would recommend just buying food at your home destination and bringing that along. That way you can arrive at Tadanoumi and hop on the ferry straight away.

The ferry journey takes around fifteen minutes, and you can find the timetable here. I’d recommend screenshotting the ferry timetable so you can plan your day without needing to rush.

Things to do on Rabbit Island

The main walking trail on Ōkunoshima takes you right around the perimeter of the island. You can’t really get lost, and there’s not a lot of traffic so it’s quite safe.

I made my way south from the ferry terminal and went clockwise around the island. I’ve listed the attractions below in the order that I found them but if you’d rather go the other way that’s entirely up to you!

Feed the bunnies!

Although the main concentration of bunnies can be found on the grassy area near the port, it’s worth saving some food for later on as there are rabbits dotted all over the place.

It’s not entirely clear how the bunnies came to take over the island. During the Second World War the island was used as a base for the manufacture of poison gas, and so some say that they were intentionally let loose when the gas factory closed down, others say that they are escaped pets from the child of one of the factory workers. Either way, most of the rabbits have domestic (i.e. non-wild) colouring, and are super friendly – perhaps a little too friendly in some cases!

That being said, if a rabbit is resting or clearly isn’t interested in receiving attention, leave them be. There will be plenty of others that are eager to receive some food and love!

Visit the poison gas museum

The museum on Ōkunoshima provides a bit more information about the wartime history of the island. It’s only a small museum and you can probably get around it in 15-20 minutes, but it is interesting to read about and see some of the artefacts from that time (there are some captions in English). It’s also cheap to enter – 100 Yen ($1 USD/ 70p), which you’ll need to pop in the box at the entrance. You’re not allowed to take photos or videos in the museum, although you’re not missing that much to be honest.

Wander the island and soak up the scenery

The island itself is beautiful. You can walk along the promenade, visit Ōkuno shrine (which is fairly small as shrines go), and follow the trail uphill to get amazing views of the sea and the other islands surrounding Ōkunoshima. And of course, wherever you go there are rabbit companions joining you!

Along the way you’ll see remnants of the island’s past – the gas storehouse, the old battery, water tanks, old offices. You can probably explore the island and all of its curios in 3-4 hours.

Explore the abandoned buildings of Rabbit Island

Possibly the most interesting of all the old buildings is the power plant. Unfortunately you can’t go in (it’s too dangerous) but you can observe and take photos from a short distance. Seeing these rather eerie, uniform buildings surrounded by rabbits hopping around is quite the juxtaposition!

Close to the power plant is the ferry terminal, perfect for returning back to the mainland and on to your homeward destination.

Want inspiration for more one-day itineraries along Japan’s Golden Route? See my full first-trip itinerary and travel guides here! I’ll be adding more as my Japan series progresses.