This Japanese Island Is Home to 1,000 Friendly Rabbits

You know what they say about rabbits. Where there are a few, there’s bound to be more … a lot more. And if you’re a rabbit lover, you should probably consider adding Ōkunoshima in Japan to your bucket list.

This small island, located in the Seto Inland Sea off the coast of Hiroshima, is better known as Rabbit Island. Ōkunoshima is home to over 1,000 rabbits, who roam the island freely, and are known for their unusually friendly demeanor.

While experts don’t fully agree on why or how so many rabbits came to inhabit the island today, there are some leading theories. For one, Ōkunoshima’s history isn’t as warm and fuzzy as its current reputation suggests. In the late 1920s, the Japanese Imperial Army began using the island as a testing site for chemical weapons, most notably poison gas. Rabbits were used in the testing program, and some believe that lab workers released some of the animals into the wild. A more cheerful theory says that a group of school children brought rabbits to Ōkunoshima and released them into the wild in the 1970s.

Today Ōkunoshima attracts as many as 100,000 visitors each year (that’s roughly 100 people per rabbit, if you do the math) who travel to the island to see the bunnies, feed them, and perhaps also visit the island’s beaches and soak in its hot springs. But the tourism boom has brought its challenges, to the bunnies—they’re often fed a diet but visitors that’s inconsistent with their nutritional needs, resulting in shorter lifespans.

If you go, refrain from feeding the rabbits your own food. Instead, only give them food that’s been specially formulated for them (you can purchase a bag at the ferry port). Better yet, skip the feeding and observe the rabbits from a distance.

Don’t forget to learn more about the island at large, too. The area is easily accessible by bike, and you can rent cycles or sign up for a guided tour at the island’s only hotel, Kyukamura Ohkunoshima. There are also swimmable beaches as well as two hot springs, and you can learn more about the island’s history at the sobering Poison Gas Museum.

Ōkunoshima is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi Station, located in the small city of Takehara. It’s a popular day trip destination for those visiting Hiroshima.