Fond memories of a visit to Okunoshima, Japan's Rabbit Island (Photo-essay)

We're having a long weekend in Hong Kong courtesy of two public holidays having fallen this past Thursday.  In normal times, this would have resulted in lots of Hong Kongers flying out for a short holiday somewhere -- with Japan and Taiwan being super popular holiday destinations.  But, as we've long established, 2020 has been a pretty crazy year from the get go through to this week.  

 

With Hong Kong's third Wuhan coronavius wave now under control -- as can be seen by the past two days having seen single daily new case numbers (4 today -- only one of which is a local transmission -- and 7 yesterday) and only one of Thursday's 10 cases having been a local tranmission -- talk is turning once more to the setting up of "travel bubbles".  In the meantime, here's sharing my first photo-essay of the most recent Japan trip I took: back in October of last year.  

 

Despite it having taken place in (already) troubled times, I did manage to find some peaceful respite while in the Land of the Rising Sun -- this even though I actually spent time in certain parts of the country that actually have dark pasts!  As unlikely as it may seem, visits to such locales can give one hope for a better future, and that all this, too, shall pass one day...        

 

Passengers eagerly anticipating getting off the ferry and

 spending time on the Seto Inland Sea isle of Okunoshima

 

A fair denizen of what has become 

popularly known.as Rabbit Island! :)

 

Yes, Okunoshima's main attractions is its rabbit population

(who are most definitely unafraid of humans)!

 

Puppet Ponyo wishes for it to be pointed out that

there's more to Okunoshima than just rabbits though

 

On a stroll around the island, one is privy to some really 

gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea and neighboring islands

 

I didn't go into the beautifully clear water but I was 

unable to resist sticking a hand into it :b
 

Considering its principally kawaii associations these days, it can come 

as a quite the shock to realize that Okunoshima was where thousands 

of tons of poison gas was produced by the Japanese Imperial Army!

 

These days though, one is far more likely to see the gentle side 

of Japan on a visit -- with the apparent biggest danger there 

involving people wanting to cuddle the actually feral rabbits 

(and there consequently being signs asking people not to do so!)