Okunoshima island a.k.a. "the Rabbit island" is a small island located in Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima prefecture. The island played a key role during World War II as a poison gas factory for much of the chemical warfare that was carried out in China.

Now this island has become the cutest island in the world, which is occupied by numerous wild rabbits. It is believed that in 1971 one local boy freed 8 rabbits on this island and after many decades the number of the rabbits increased to 700. Every visitors to the island are welcomed by fluffy bunnies and they can enjoy feeding them or playing with them. The attraction of the island is not only cute bunnies but there are many more to enjoy such as hot springs, beautiful beaches and cycling.

To enjoy this unique island with bunnies safely, there are several rules to follow as below. 1) Do not run after bunnies nor hold them in your arms, as they can be easily stressed out. 2) Do not play with them in a public road to avoid traffic accident. 3) As bunnies usually have bad eyesight, do not put your hands close to their mouths so that they would not bite you. 4) Do not feed them with snacks, bread or something they should not eat, as their stomach can get easily upset. (Rabbit food is available to purchase at the island the visitor center). 5) To protect bunnies, do not bring dogs (Assistance dogs are allowed). The island can be reached by ferry from Tadanoumi port (Hiroshima prefecture). Tadanoumi port is located 7 mins away from JR Tadanoumi station (1.5hrs from Hiroshima station).

The simple fact is, there's not a single predator on the island, meaning that our furry little friends have a complete lack of fear. And the reason why the rabbits are so friendly to humans is purely because of one thing: food. With so many rabbits populating the island, they'd soon get through all the natural vegetation! So it's very lucky that they can be given delicious treats by the friendly tourists who visit the island.

And in case you're wondering, the reason why there are so many rabbits on the island is down to the whole, no predators thing. Apparently, rabbits usually breed really quickly, and one female and her offspring could theoretically produce up to fifty THOUSAND rabbits in just three years! Predators normally wipe out around eighty percent of these little guys, but on an island where these predators don't exist, the numbers just keep growing and growing.