Okunoshima can only be accessed by ferry, and once on the island, there is not much to do except to walk around and feed the rabbits. The island can be covered comfortably on foot, and walking trails lead around and into the interior of the island. However depending on weather conditions, trails into the interior may be closed for safety reasons.


A little bit of background on the island: during the Sino-Japanese War in the middle of the Meiji Period (1868 - 1912), a number of forts were constructed on Okunoshima as strongholds to protect the Seto Inland Sea. However these batteries were never used and some of them can still be seen today. You would think that the island would've been abandoned to nature after the war, but there's more to the story.

Okunoshima Island's history took a dark turn and even saw the island disappearing off maps for a while. Between 1929 to 1945, the Japanese government manufactured poisonous gases on Okunoshima. The island was chosen for its isolated location and hence its conduciveness to secrecy. It remains unknown what role these poisonous gases played in the wars during that period. Okunoshima's dark past remained a secret that only former related military servicemen knew about until 1984 when that information was released to the public.

At the Poison Gas Museum, visitors can see the minimal protective gear workers wore in the form of rubber suits, gloves and boots which were not completely airtight and allowed poisonous material to seep in. Many of the workers developed various afflictions and diseases due to exposure. For some, the sickness developed many years later without a cure available. The museum also displays the equipment used to manufacture the gases and gives an overview of the history of the island during that time. Note that there is limited English at the museum.


In addition to the battery remains, visitors can also see remains of the different parts of the poisonous gas manufacturing plant scattered across the island. All these abandoned remains make Okunoshima a prime location for urban exploration or haikyo as it is known in Japanese. Be aware that haikyo in Japan is often an illegal activity and usually dangerous, and it is better to stay on the right side of the "Do Not Enter" signs.

Back to the cute rabbit island, I circled the entire island, fed a bunch of rabbits, got chased and surrounded by more rabbits, and visited the museum and a few ruins open to the public in about three hours. There are no shops on the small island with the exception of a couple of restaurants at the Kyukamura Okunoshima, a hotel at the southern end. Visitors who want to feed the rabbits can buy rabbit feed from the shop near the ferry terminal on the mainland.


Overall, Okunoshima is an easy short trip out from Hiroshima or a longer trip out if combined with the nearby Onomichi. The rabbits were incredibly friendly and completely tame, and would often hop up to humans to beg for food. There are rules regarding appropriate behaviour towards the rabbits which are advertised in the shop on the mainland, at the ferry terminals, in the ferry and at several points on the island. It is imperative to follow those rules to protect the island and rabbits for future visitors.

The ferry terminal to Okunoshima can be reached in a short walk from Tadanoumi Station on the JR Kure Line. There are approximately hourly ferry departures between Tadanoumi Port and Okunoshima (see ferry schedules on the official website). The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes and costs 310 yen one way.

Tadanoumi Station can be reached by local train from Mihara Station in about 20 minutes and for 320 yen one way. Mihara is a station along the Sanyo Shinkansen which is served only by Kodama trains, 25 minutes east of Hiroshima.

As of the time of writing, service along the JR Kure Line was interrupted between Mihara and Kure due to damage caused by torrential rains in July 2018. Train service is expected to be back to normal around January 2019. In the meantime, substitute buses run between Mihara and Tadanoumi once every 1-2 hours.