Former Army Facilities on Okunoshima

Completion year

unknown

Address

Okunoshima, Tadanominakamachi, Takehara, Hiroshima（Google Map）

Okunojima Island, with a circumference of 4.3 km, is located in the center of the Seto Inland Sea in southern Hiroshima Prefecture. Before the Russo-Japanese War, Geyo Fortress was established in 1902 to protect the military ports of Hiroshima and Kure from enemy ships, and a total of 22 cannons were placed in the northern, central and southern areas. Although it was never used in the Russo-Japanese War, a Japanese Army poison gas factory was established there in 1929, and the island was erased from maps as a secret island until 1945, when it was destroyed by the Allied Forces after the war. On the island, one can see the ruins of gun batteries and powder magazine from the Geyo Fortress period, as well as the ruins of a power plant and storage facility from the poison gas factory period. The beautiful brickwork ruins of the gun emplacements and powder magazine, and in particular, although the interior is off limits to visitors, the huge concrete structures of the power plant and poison gas storage depot are very impressive and offer a glimpse into the conditions of those days.
After the war, the entire island was completely disinfected under the direction of the Allied Forces, and today it is designated as a Seto Inland Sea National Park. To familiarize visitors with the nature of the national park, it has been established as a vacation spot, with a hotel, walking trails, a visitor center, and other facilities.
It is also home to more than 700 rabbits, and is a healing space rich in nature where no civilian vehicles are allowed to drive.
However the former military facilities are dangerous, so please do not trespass through the surrounding fences.