DAY 8 - RABBIT ISLAND

Next up: Okunoshima, AKA Rabbit Island! After a long trip we rushed to a nearby grocery store to pick up the biggest bag of pellets they had.

A short ferry ride brought us to the island.

We assumed we would see small handfuls of rabbits here and there, but in fact there were hundreds of them. This was taken right next to the ferry terminal.

The rabbits would dig wallows to lounge in.

The island was a chemical weapons facility during WWII. Behind these buns are the power plant ruins.

The rabbits were incredibly friendly, and they would rush to you at the sound of food.

Along the path we noticed a single baby bun under a bush. After a moment of feeding it, two more babies emerged!

We explored the remains of an artillery fortification.

This once housed tanks of poison gas.

A sleeping bun wakes for food.

The rabbits were totally unafraid of humans. They’d eat out of our hands and hop in our laps.

All around the island were pristine views of the inland sea.

This is Ali’s happy place.

And this is Lance’s.

After walking the perimeter of the island and feeding every bun we saw, we made our way back to the mainland to the town of Takehara. We stopped for a bite to eat in the Le Lapin cafe. The hostess was one of the nicest people we encountered, and the sandwiches we ate were yummy.