Okunoshima

Okunoshimarabbit islandpoison gasTakeharawar history

Hiroshima · Takehara

34.3337°N, 132.9866°E

Okunoshima is a 4.3-kilometre island in the Seto Inland Sea with around seven hundred wild rabbits on it and a very dark reason for being empty in the first place. From 1929 the Japanese army manufactured poison gas here, and the island was removed from published maps to conceal it. The ruins of the plant, the power station and the storage bunkers are still standing in the undergrowth.

The Poison Gas Museum, opened by the town, sets out the production history with the ceramic storage vessels, protective suits and photographs of workers injured by exposure. It is small, it is unflinching, and it costs ¥150. The rabbits came later and are not descended from test animals, whatever the story you will hear. Ferries run from Tadanoumi in about twelve minutes.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Island accessible by ferry roughly 7:40 AM – 6:40 PM | Poison Gas Museum 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Closed: Museum closed over the New Year, with occasional unscheduled closures — confirm before travelling

Entrance Fee

Ferry ¥310 one way | Poison Gas Museum ¥150 for ages 19 and over, free below

Best Season

Year-round | Spring and autumn for cycling the island

Visit Duration

Half a day including the ferry

Getting There

Access Information

Okunoshima, Tadanoumi-cho, Takehara. Ferries from Tadanoumi port, about 3–7 minutes on foot from JR Tadanoumi Station on the Kure Line, take around 12 minutes and cost ¥310 one way, with about 15 sailings on weekdays and 17 at weekends and holidays, first around 7:40 AM and last around 6:40 PM. Boats also run from Takehara, Mihara and Omishima. The Poison Gas Museum is open 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, ¥150 for ages 19 and over and free below that, closed over the New Year — note that it has had unscheduled closures, so confirm before travelling. The island is 4.3 km around and can be cycled.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Go to the museum first.** ¥150, and it is the reason the island is uninhabited. Seeing the ruins after the museum is a different experience from seeing them before. **Confirm the museum is open.** It has had unscheduled closures including for power supply work. The island itself and the ruins are accessible regardless. **Rabbit feeding has rules.** Bring proper rabbit food rather than human snacks, feed on the ground rather than by hand, and do not chase or pick them up. Cabbage and bread make them ill. **Rent a bicycle.** The island is 4.3 km around, the ruins are spread along the circuit, and the walk between them in summer heat is more than most people want. **The rabbits are not test animals.** That story is persistent and wrong — the current population descends from rabbits released long after the war.

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