There are thousands of islands in the Inland Sea, each with their own unique features and attractions. Yet I doubt there are any stranger than
Okunoshima. Between 1928 and 1945 Okunoshima was used to produce several kilotons of mustard gas and other posion-gases for use in the Pacific War, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. For maximum secrecy, the island was erased from maps, while workers on the island had little training and poor equipment, resulting in horrific injuries. Today the buildings deserted after the end of the war remain as they once were, shards of glass still hanging in the windowframes. Animals were used in the gas tests, but when the island was deserted in 1945 the remaining rabbits were set loose. And they bred like, well, rabbits. So today these
small victims of war have claimed the island for themselves, behaving like abandoned pets, and gratefully receiving all the carrot and lettuce visitors have to offer. They certainly enjoyed the 6 carrots we brought along...
Kawaii!
Rabbit Gropes Miki-chan
Old Lady Feeds Over-Enthusiastic Rabbits
Rabbit Eats One of Steve's Carrots
...que More Carrot Eating
Everyone Pause For A Photo
No Its A Shoe, Not A Carrot
Autumn Leaves
Gas Tanks From Another Era
Just Around The Corner
Abandoned Warehouse (which we snuck into at risk of death from falling things)
Good Place For A Date? Hmmm
Preserved In Time and Space
Ending On A Fluffy Note
After leaving Okunoshima we stopped in Onomichi for some
Onomichi ramen on the way back to Okayama. We went to a ramen shop I'd been to about 7 months previously on a day trip, and the owner remembered me! A nice end to our trip.
