Okunoshima

Okunoshima is about four kilometres around, an hour and a half from Hiroshima by train and ferry, and it has several hundred European rabbits living wild on it. How they got there is disputed - one account has schoolchildren releasing eight in 1971, another has them descended from earlier animals - but they have no predators, and the population has grown to the point where it is a management problem rather than a charm. They are habituated and approach visitors immediately, in numbers, and will climb on people carrying anything that looks like food. The island's guidance is firm about what to do: bring appropriate rabbit food rather than bread or vegetables from a convenience store, feed on the ground rather than by hand, do not pick them up, and do not chase them. Bicycles are hired at the hotel. There is a walking loop, beaches and a small campsite.

What's there

• Several hundred wild rabbits - habituated, unafraid and immediate.
• A four-kilometre island - walked or cycled in a loop with beaches on the way.
• Feeding rules - proper rabbit food, on the ground, no handling and no chasing.
• A disputed origin - accounts differ on how the rabbits arrived.

When to go

March to November. Half a day, governed by the ferry timetable.

Practical notes

Overfeeding and unsuitable food have caused real health problems in the population - follow the posted rules. Ferries are infrequent and the last one back is early. There is one hotel and little else. Summer heat is hard on both rabbits and visitors.

Nearby

Takehara's preserved district is on the mainland; Onomichi is east.

Key facts