What's It Like to Visit Japan's Bunny Island?

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Helen Foster is a Sydney-based author, journalist and content creator. She has traveled to Japan six times and is planning trip seven. Her articles on Japan have appeared in publications including Reader's Digest (Asia Pacific), RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, the Japan National Tourism Organisation website and more. She is a digital publisher member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.

Why is Bunny Island Even There?

No-one knows.

The island’s history is now well documented, and it’s not exactly what you’d expect from today’s fluffy, bob-tailed paradise. During the Second World War, Okunoshima was the location of a secret chemical weapons factory complete with storage, laboratories, and even its own power plant – the ruins of which are still on the island.

After the war, people left the island, but the bunnies moved in – but no one knows how.

Rabbits were used on the island for experiments during the war, but those rabbits didn’t survive, and as far as records show, there were no rabbits left on the island when the Allied Forces left it. There’s no bridge they could have hopped into the island using, so they must have arrived via people – but no one knows exactly who, how, when or why.

What is known is that many years later, the lack of natural predators, and rabbits being rabbits, means that now around 1000 of them live on the island.

Are They Friendly?

Yes. As soon as you get off the ferry, at least one bunny will hop toward you, hoping you’ve got food. If you arrive on the first ferry of the day, that might be more like 10-15.

As the day goes on, the ones nearest the ferry start to get a bit full and over people, but if you walk a bit around the island, you’ll find someone who hasn’t yet had their fill and wants to say hi.

At some points, they can get a bit over-enthusiastic, and you’ll end up with 5-6 of them all trying to climb on your lap for snacks – they do have tiny claws and often, muddy/sandy paws, and you will spend a lot of time kneeling on the very scratchy sand to get down to their level so dress accordingly – or you too will make the face I’m making above!

And you do need to get to their level most of the time, as the Bunny Island Rules ask you not to pick up the bunnies, hold them, or play with them too near the edge of the road. If you’re less mobile, you can find benches around the island. Sit on one and rustle your bag, and you’ll soon have some friends leaping up to say hi on the bench.

What Was That About Snot?

Despite being very used to humans, the rabbits are wild, and there is no vet on the island, so if they get sick, there is no one to treat them. You’ll notice some have runny eyes and snuffly noses, so take some hand sanitiser with you (a good idea anyway, as the bunnies do not eat that delicately, and your hands get covered in rabbit spit).

This lack of medical care in what’s now a tourist attraction rather than purely a wild rabbit community is one criticism of the island.

Another is that encouraging people to feed the rabbits can see them eating things they shouldn’t (more on that in a minute). Again, this can cause problems with no medical care for them.

I’m not trying to spoil it for you, it’s fantastic if you love animals, especially bunnies; just don’t expect everyone to look like Flopsy and Cottontail all the time. Wild bunnies do get the snuffles and other lurgies.

How To Get to Rabbit Island, Japan.

There are two common routes…

Getting to Okunoshima Via Tadanoumi

This is the most usual way people arrive and the way I’ve been both times. Ferries to the island run from the small town of Tadanoumi every 30-45 minutes, from 7.30 am to around 7 pm.

It takes just 15 minutes to reach the island. On the day I write this, in January 2025, it costs 720Y for a return adult journey and 360Y for children.

You don’t need to book the normal foot ferry in advance, you can buy tickets from the vending machine in the visitors centre when you arrive. The ferries are large, but the island does get busy at weekends or during public holidays, so allow time to get everything sorted at the Visitors Centre before the ferry leaves.

To get to Tadanoumi, you get the local train from Mihara, which is a bullet train stop.

Use the Navitime app to check timings as the ferries and the trains don’t meet each other in an organised fashion, and while there is more to do in Tadanoumi now than there used to be, it’s still not somewhere you want to be hanging around for ages.

Checking connections is particularly important on the way back when gaps between the boat and the next train can be large.

The official Rabbit Island website has the latest ferry times, so you can tie everything together.

Getting to Okunoshima Via Mihara

There has been a fast ferry running from Mihara direct to Okunoshima in the past.

When I came through Mihara port in November, there were still signs up for this and what looked like a ticket office, but the website currently says suspended. I’m not sure if that is permanent or just because I’m writing this in January when the weather can be rough. Before considering this as an option, check the latest status.

If it is running, it’s a good potential option if you’re visiting Rabbit Island at the weekend or a Japanese public holiday during summer, as it means you can skip the train journey to Tadanoumi and catch a fast ferry to Okunoshima from Mihara Port, about a 10-minute walk from the bullet train station.

The route is called the Rabbit Line, and it’s a bit more expensive than the ferry to Tadanoumi, but it can be more convenient. The day I write this, it costs 1600 for a single ticket and 2600 for a return. The journey takes about 40 minutes.

The ferries don’t run as regularly as the ones from Tadanoumi, nor do they start as early. The first departs at 9.20, arriving at Okunoshima at 10 am. You can check the current schedule and get the timings for other sailings here.

The last Mihara ferry leaves at 3.05 pm and gets you on the island at 3.45 pm. If you catch this one, note you’ll either need to get the last fast ferry back to Mihara an hour later (4.45 pm) or catch one of the Tadanoumi ferries back to land the catch the train back to Mihara.

The last one of these leaves the island at 7.00 pm – but double-check the timings for the ferries and the connecting trains so you don’t get stuck.

The fast ferry also doesn’t run during Japanese New Year. And again, double-check the current status on their website before you plan this as a route.

How Much Does It Cost To Visit Bunny Island

It’s free to visit Okunoshima. The only charge is for the ferry. You’ll also pay a small fee if you want to visit the museum about the wartime activities (it was 100 yen when I visited).

You’ll also want to allow some money for bunny food… so, let’s talk about that.

How to Feed the Bunnies

You can buy ready-made hay pellets at the Visitor’s Centre at Tadanoumi for 100 yen a bag. About two bags per person will be enough to enjoy your fluffy interactions, but get more if you’re particularly bunny-obsessed as you can’t buy any on the island.

The food comes in paper bags, and the bunnies are very good at ripping these, so I’d suggest putting the bags in your main day bag and just grabbing a few handfuls of food at a time to feed them.

Oh, and there are no bins on the island, so take the bags and any other rubbish back to the mainland with you.

At this point, you might be wondering whether it’s a good idea to take the rabbits some fresher food.

You will see people doing this – and the small shop in Tadanoumi has quite the selection of veggies for a convenience store – however, there are a lot of vegetables rabbits can’t eat or that they should only eat sparingly (including cabbage, some lettuces, cauliflower and other foods that might cause them to get gas) so unless you’re a bunny owner who knows their way around healthy and safe rabbit cuisine, stick with the hay pellets from the shop.

As I said, if you arrive later in the day, the bunnies nearest the ferry might not be interested in these, but walk further into the island and you’ll find someone hoppy to see you (sorry, couldn’t resist).

How Long Should You Spend on Bunny Island?

Okunoshima isn’t huge, but it’s very pretty, so more active types should allow a few hours to explore and take in the views.

If you’re interested in history, the museum is also interesting. And make sure you walk to the right of the ferry if you want to see the ruins of the old factory – you can’t go in, but it makes for good photos.

The first time I went, we did all of these things and spent five hours there – but even then, we didn’t walk the whole island. Most of the time was spent enticing bunnies toward food.

During summer you can also swim off the beach.

If you’re just going to see the bunnies and feed a few, you don’t need that long. When I went the second time, with Mr Japlanease, who was not interested in anything without floppy ears and a white tail, we arrived on the 8.30 am ferry and left on the 10.30 am, and that was more than enough time.

I’d definitely suggest making sure you have an eSim, a local SIM or portable wifi to check the ferry times while you’re on the island in case you decide to leave later or hop off earlier. Plus, it allows you to upload cute bunny photos to all known social media instantly!

Where Can You Eat?

There’s not a lot of commercial property on Okunoshima.

It’s best to bring snacks, etc, from the mainland – again, remember there are no bins so take your rubbish home with you.

If you want a full meal, you can eat in the island’s hotel. This offers a limited selection of set meals at lunchtime in their cafe and restaurant. See the latest menu here to decide if it works for you.

Hotel? Does this Mean You Can Stay on Rabbit Island?

It does. There are now a couple of different options for staying overnight as part of the Holiday Village Okunoshima.

First is the hotel. This has primarily Japanese-style rooms, but offer a few with Western-style beds. All rooms face the sea – and the bunnies. There’s also an onsen on site and a restaurant for dining.

See more about rooms and rates here.

You can also camp. The campsite offers the chance to pitch your own tent or use one of their set-ups. See more about it here.

You can use the hotel facilities like the hot spring and the restaurant when staying at the campsite. There are only a handful of sites, so book in advance to ensure you get one at more popular times like weekends and holidays.

What’s the Nearest Big Town to Bunny Island?

There are a few. You can visit Okunoshima as a day trip from these or use them as a base to stay overnight in order to get an early start on the island.

Hiroshima

The island makes an easy day trip from Hiroshima. The local train is the cheapest route, taking you from Hiroshima to Tadanoumi in about 90 minutes.

If you don’t mind paying a bit more, or have a Kansai Pass that includes the correct areas, the bullet train and a local train can get you to Tadanoumi in less than an hour. Or, if the fast ferry is running, getting to Mihara takes just 40 minutes.

Okayama

The first time I went to Rabbit Island, we chose Okayama as our jumping-off point. This is 80 minutes away from Tadanoumi via the bullet train to Mihara then then local trains.

Okayama doesn’t feature as a main stop on many tourist plans, but I’ve stayed here twice now as it’s a fantastic place to base yourself for day trips, not just to Bunny Island, but also to Naoshima, Kurashiki, Setoda and Onomichi.

Plus, the garden and castle are worth visiting in their own right. Of the two hotels I’ve stayed in, I’d recommend the Daiwa Roynet Ekimae. It’s a good, basic business hotel near the station and Okayama’s main dining area.

Fukuyama

The second time I visited, we stopped on Bunny Island while traveling between Nagoya and Osaka. On this trip, we stayed at Fukuyama the night before our visit.

This meant an early start, but the choice of accommodation was better than that in Mihara. Choose a hotel near the station, like the Richmond Hotel Fukuyama Ekimae.

If you do prefer the idea of staying in Mihara, the best bet is probably the Super Hotel Mihara.

Can You Bring Luggage?

If you are visiting Bunny Island in transit between destinations, I’d suggest shipping your luggage as the easiest option. If that’s not feasible, you can store your luggage at the visitor centre at the ferry port or leave it in lockers at Mihara Station.

Don’t take it onto the island unless you’re staying overnight when you get picked up by a van; not all the roads are paved, there are no lockers, and you’ll regret it instantly – plus, the noise of the wheels might scare the bunnies!

Can You Visit Bunny Island on a Day Trip from Kyoto, Osaka or Tokyo?

It’s doable from the first two – the last one, not so much. Here’s one option on train timings for all three major cities (accurate the day I write this, but double-check everything on an app like Navitime, which will show you timings and prices).

From Kyoto to Okunoshima

You can leave earlier than this, but this is the fastest route that doesn’t involve a bus! It takes 3 hours and 52 minutes and costs from 10,250 yen one way.

Get the Hikari Shinkansen from Kyoto Station at 7.41. Change at Okayama and catch the Kodama to Mihara. You’ll arrive at 9.39 am, the next local train to Tadanoumi is at 10.05. You’ll arrive in time to catch the 10.50 ferry to the island and be petting bunnies by 11.10.

If you want to return to Kyoto for, say, 7pm, you’ll need to leave on the 3.35 pm ferry.

If you are doing this as a day trip, you will save money by buying the Kansai Hiroshima Pass, especially if you have planned any other day trips.

However, note. You’ll have to get a local train to Shin-Osaka (which is included on the pass) and then use the route below, as the bullet train from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka is not included in the pass. Or, if you don’t mind spending a tiny bit more, book a single on the bullet train to cover the section from Kyoto to Shin Osaka. You can reserve the same seat for both sections at the station.

From Osaka to Okunoshima

The quickest journey, by train alone, takes 3 hours and 53 minutes. It costs from 8930 yen one way. Again, you might want to consider the Kansai Hiroshima Pass if you’re doing this in a day, especially if you have other day trips planned as it will save you money.

It sees you leaving from Shin-Osaka at 7.40 am. You then basically follow the same route as coming from Kyoto. You get to Mihara at 9.39 am, depart on the local train at 10.05 am, meet the 10.50 am ferry and get on the island by 11.10 am.

As with Kyoto, you’ll want to leave on the 3.35 pm ferry to return to Osaka for early evening.

There is an earlier option that will get you on the island by 10.23 am if you don’t mind it taking slightly longer and leaving at around 6.30 am – The Navitime app will help you find the best option for you.

From Tokyo to Okunoshima

I really wouldn’t do this – not least because it will cost around $40,000 yen return and require 10-12 hours of traveling. It’s also now very difficult to tie up train times to go via Tadanoumi (although if you don’t mind getting the bus for a section, it’s feasible) so realistically it’s only doable if the fast ferry is running.

If it is, leave Tokyo at 6.33 am on the Nozomi to Okayama, then change here for Mihara. You will arrive at 10.35 am. Walk quickly to the port to catch the 10.55 am fast ferry, and you’ll be on the island around 11.30 am.

Either catch the 1.55 pm ferry off the island, which will get you back to Tokyo around 8 pm, or, if you want to catch the last ferry, you’ll get back to Tokyo at around 10.15 pm. Remember though, check that the fast ferry is in operation.

Anything Else You Need to Know?

Only that if you don’t come home with at least one photo like this you’ve done it all wrong!

The bunnies might stay still for food, but they will not pose for a camera! About 90 percent of my pictures are of blurry rabbits!