A Shrine on Rabbit Island

 This is nearly the equivalent of a rabbit drinking holy water.

Rabbits following us everywhere.

Historical Sites on Okunoshima Island

 

Lest you think Okunoshima Island was just an island full of rabbits, think again. It is one of the rare places in Japan that have buildings and sites from the Japan-Russo War and World War II still standing.

 

Above is where they generated power for the factories that created poisonous gas in WWII. The most chilling rumor you'll ever hear about Okunoshima is that the rabbits populate the island were once used to test the gas.

Because Japan is so earthquake-prone, and because Japan was heavily bombed in World War II, there are few sites left behind that let you see its history and legacy. (This is particularly glaring when you compare Tokyo to a city like Paris or London, where you can barely turn a corner without being confronted with the country's glorious past.)

That the island has sites from wars that took place over 100 years ago isn't really advertised, and many people who visit the island for just a day probably do not bother to explore them.

 A building used to house artillery in the 1904 Japan-Russo War.

 This was the factory where they made poison gas. In front of the building was a photograph that showed workers disposing of the gas after the War.

Flowers and Creatures of Okunoshima Island

Close-ups taken with Easy Macro lens.

The close-up tells you that this plant must be part of the orchid family!

 

Pretty multi-colored beetle.

 

A crab wandering around, fairly above sea level.

 A hawk.

Dolls at Mihara Station

 Dolls on display at Mihara Station in Hiroshima.

Flying over the Seto Inland Sea

Over the three-day weekend, I visited Ohkunoshima, otherwise known as Rabbit Island. (Rabbit posts to follow.) To get there, I took a 90-minute flight from Narita Airport from Spring Airlines, which cost a mere 6000 yen. This makes it cheaper than taking the shinkansen (bullet train).

Another plus is the incredible view of the Seto Inland Sea you can see from the plane. The Seto Inland Sea is a narrow body of water that separates three of the four main islands in Japan. There are almost countless tiny islands on the Inland Sea, many of them uninhabited. According to government data, if you count the practically miniscule islands (bigger than 100 meter in circumference), there are around 730 on the Inland Sea.

 

Bridges like these are a common sight, the result of an ambitious project to connect many of the islands that were previously accessible only by ferry.

 Many of the islands looked like ready-made beach resorts, with their perfect sandy beaches.

The little island on the right was packed with industrial gear, and indeed, aside from fisheries, the islands are known for ship construction, steel production, and oil refining. (This meant that many of the landscape photos I took were marred by huge, ugly red and white cranes.)

It's hard to see in this photo, but the water here was dotted with dozens of traps. Considering the prevalence of squid on the menu in this area, I'm guessing they were squid traps.

 

A closer look.

 

 Even after eyeballing Google Maps, I couldn't match the islands with their names.