In 1925, the Imperial Japanese Army launched a highly secretive chemical weapons program in Okunoshima, a small island in the inland sea of Japan. The island was chosen because it was far away from Tokyo and other main areas. This isolation helped ensure sufficient security. The program was so secret that island was removed from local maps. [googlead]At the end of World War II, documents regarding the plant were disposed of, as were the poisonous chemicals. What remains today are ruins of forts, gas manufacturing plants and supporting power stations. These buildings serve as a grim reminder of the island’s frightening past.
Despite all of this, there’s something peculiar about this island that has tourists coming every year and leaving overjoyed with ear-to-ear grins…
Yes, Okunoshima is famous for its rabbit population. It’s not entirely clear how the rabbits got to the island in the first place. Some say that a few were released there by students, others say tourists. Either way, those rabbits did what rabbits do (ahem), and now the island is full of them. Tourists are encouraged to feed them and they are more than happy to comply.
Source: Daily Mail
If you want to visit Okunoshima, which is also known as Usagi Jima (“Rabbit Island”), you will have to access it by ferry from Tadanoumi and Omishima. The island also has a resort, a six hole golf course, and camping grounds in case you get tired of feeding those adorable rabbits.
