Bunnies

If I say "Hiroshima" to you, what do you think of? Is it this?

Probably not.

Hiroshima Prefecture might genuinely be my favourite part of Japan. I've been there twice now, and both times I've been blown away by the beauty of the countryside and beaches, the clarity of the water, and the peacefulness of the islands. The city itself is pretty great as well; good food and a cosmopolitan vibe. The memorials and the museum are of course, not too cheery. I thought about writing a blogpost on them last year but decided I had nothing new or profound to say about it, so preferred to leave it be. All I'll say is that going to the museum was probably the toughest experience I've had here, though really important and I'd recommend it - if 'recommend' is the right word - to anyone.  But the reason I wanted to write this post is to show a different side to Hiroshima. In the west we mainly know it as the site of the first atomic bombing; the name is associated with tragedy and little else. But the US didn't choose to bomb some backwater; Hiroshima was (and still is) one of the most important cities in Japan. If you're not walking around the small part of the city specifically dedicated as a memorial to the attack, it just feels like walking around any other major metropolitan area of Japan, which is heartening if a little unsettling. It feels like you should see reminders and misery on every corner, but you don't. I don't want to make judgements on a place I still barely know, but to me the city feels like a testament to how life can find a way to spring up again after destruction.

Anyway, bunnies.

Off the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture, a couple of hours from the city, there's an island called Okunoshima (rough translation using my rough Japanese: Big Eternal Wilderness Island), better known as Usagijima (Bunny Island). (Last year I went to a different, but equally lovely island in Hiroshima, which you can read about here.) It's quite out of the way, so it's not super-touristy, but it still attracts a fair few people due to BUNNIES.

In the Second World War, the island was used as a research base for developing poison gas. After the war ended, the base was abandoned and the rabbits used for experimentation were released. Apparently no-one bothered to fix these rabbits, because a few generations later BUNNIES ALL OVER THE SHOP.

There isn't much left of the research facility, but the shells of the abandoned buildings are still there, taken over by adorable new tenants. Again, life springs up from destruction. Aggression and death paved over by ADORABLE BUNNIES LOOK

Check out that thumb action

I even got an ice cream with some fake rabbit poo in it - "Original Joke Ice Cream", as it was called. To be honest, the ice cream itself was good but the poo bits were not nearly as chocolatey as I expected and a little dry. Better poo needed.

Also, as you may have noticed from the top image, not only is the island full of gorgeous furry little bundles of love, but it's also just one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The water is absurd. The sand is too nice. The greens are too verdant. The blues are too aquamarine. There are little caves. I want to sail all around there when I'm retired and I barely know what a boat is. I wish I could do it justice with my phone's camera. You'll just have to go there yourself.

Anyway, I hope this barely literate piece of Original Joke makes you think a bit differently of Hiroshima, if you haven't already been there or thought of going. 

bunnies