From 1929 through most of 1945, the Japanese operated a top secret facility with the sole purpose to produce poison gas used in chemical warfare.

The facility is located on a small island located in the Inland Sea of Japan and is only accessible by ferries from Tadanoumi and Ōmishima.

The facility was so secret that the Japanese actually removed the island, Okunoshima Island, from all maps.

During its period of activity, the facility produced over six kilotons of mustard gas. It has been defunct and abandoned for nearly 40 years, but its infamous legacy lives on. Many people lost their lives or loved ones to the gas that was produced there. Many others are still suffering from side effects from exposure during the manufacturing process.

Though abandoned, the island is still home to the labs, storage buildings, and the powerhouse. The Japanese have also built a poison gas museum on the island to teach the public about the history of the facility. However, tiny Okunoshima Island is quickly gaining notoriety for other reasons.

Those reasons are bunnies. Lots of bunnies. It is estimated that over 300 bunnies have been seen in and around the facility. No one is absolutely certain where the bunnies came from. The most popular theory is that some were brought to the island on a school field trip. Once released and left to their own devices, the bunnies began to . . . do what bunnies do.

The island’s new inhabitants have been attracting tourists by the droves. The other attractions consist of campsites, walking trails, and the museum.

However, it is the bunnies that most of the tourists go to see. Not only are the bunnies seen at every turn, but they are nearly tame. Many of them so tame, that several have been seen eating out of the hands of the tourists.