Since the premiere of "The Forest" last week, Japan's Aokigahara Forest has been getting a lot of attention. Beyond the sad forest that sits at the base of Mount Fuji, however, Japan is home to several other interesting places. Those places are called Aoshima, Okunoshima, and Nara City. Respectively, they are Cat Island, Bunny Island, and Deer Park.
Aoshima is one of eleven islands in Japan that has more cats than people. Cats were originally sent to the island to help fishermen with a rodent problem. Since then, the cats stayed on the island and their population grew extraordinarily. Cats outnumber humans six to one, and according to an article by The Week, there are only 22 people that live there. There are no hotels, restaurants, shops, or even cars on Aoshima, but that does not stop tourists from taking day trips to the island. But, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that it only takes 30 minutes by ferry to get to Cat Island from the mainland. The bad news is that the ferry only runs twice a day, and it only carries 34 passengers.
During World War II, the island of Okunoshima was used to create chemical weapons and poison gas. Today, however, Okunoshima is now the home to many wild bunnies, who are friendly enough to hop up to those who came to visit them. Unlike Cat Island, the ferry ride to Bunny Island only takes 12 minutes, and there is a hotel for tourists. There is also a poison gas museum there from when the island was used during the war. When visiting the island, tourists are able to buy food so they can feed the little mouths that approach them. If not staying for more than a day, it is encouraged that tourists bring a spare outfit to change into, as the little bunnies can make a person quite dirty.
Nara City is a place in mainland Japan where "deer crossing" is taken very seriously. Deer Park is home to the thousands of tame deer that, according to The Dodo, have been roaming the streets of Nara for centuries. They were once seen as sacred, and killing them was illegal. Although today the deer are no longer seen as deities, they are still treated exceptionally well as if they still were. Tourists who come to visit the deer can find them anywhere: in parks, on sidewalks, even in the streets. They are allowed to go up to them, pet them, and feed them. And, if a tourist was to bow at the deer, the deer will bow back!
