No doubt anyone paying attention to traveling around Japan beyond the “big three” of the Tokyo megalopolis, the historic fairyland of Kyoto, and the jocular kitchen of Osaka, has come across Naoshima which has emerged as the most visible or famous or not worthy of the Setouchi inland sea “art islands”.
Basic Cartography: The Seto-nai-kai “Inland Sea” is basically the area between the largest island of the Japan archipelago, Honshu and the smallest of the four islands, Shikoku to the west/south of Osaka and bordered on the Honshu side by our home prefecture of Okayama as well as Kagawa (Naoshima’s prefectural jurisdiction) and Hiroshima – all of which offer different ferry options to dozens of islands to go along with the massive span bridge and another bridge network connecting several islands as part of a national park and a popular cycling course.
Brief Situation: The Inland Sea, basically creates an extensive natural harbor so in the past, the islands bustled with industrial activity including mining, manufacturing and obviously fishing… The first two have basically disappeared and the third reduced significantly. And, the widespread situation of reducing population hits these areas in particular as once there’s not enough kids to fill school, the school is closed and families tend to move away as kids have to either live with relatives or travel creatively daily to get to school. Ditto with Elder folks needing medical care close at hand and so on. As a result, tourist activities of all sorts have started to fill some of the economic void and breathes new life into these islands.
Aside: there are many resources to read about these islands from historical perspective as well as contemporary accounts, especially Amy Chavez is booked discussed elsewhere in this archive, but a few quick notes:
- Beyond Naoshima, there are *many other islands* which participate “officially” in the Trienalle art exhibit
- Benesse, a regionally based and very successful company creating educational materials for kids as well as other endeavors has staked a lot of the artistic Renaissance on these islands
- Both of the above results in dozens of noteworthy (i’m avoiding using the term “world class” because trying to avoid hackneyed cliché but just gonna say it: world class museums and art installations
- Beyond the “heavy hitters” are a wide variety of interesting businesses with an artistic ben – from bathhouses to bookshops, bike rental companies, quirky cafés and guest houses to make island-hopping experiences pleasant
Asides:
And my friends, especially from British Columbia, will enjoy knowing that the ferry services are abundant and reliable although admittedly, take a little bit of figuring to sort out which is which as there’s many service providers transporting both cars and passengers only
Trying to plan a trip around the islands skips much of the serendipitous random goodness that one can find on a ramble however, in some seasons when the Trienalle is officially on or other busy tourist times, advance planning for accommodations is obviously wise
Naoshima captures so much of attention and, as a result, so many of the travelers so keep in mind there are lots of other islands to go explore where you’ll find fewer fellow explorers (we’ve visited Teshima and Shodoshima of late)
Many of the islands have crews of volunteers waiting at ferry dockings to help get you onto buses or bike rentals or otherwise welcome you and get you started. A lot of these folks are retired islanders and worth given an extra thank you and hello / chit chat
Coverage: Loads of media coverage out there from National Geographic (who called the area top area in the world to visit in 2019, i mean come on now) to local blogs (I’ll share a few articles at the bottom of this dispatch) but the most amusing is the English language newspaper “Japan Times” do a podcast called “Deep Dive” with an episode talking about Japan’s inconvenient tourism, well-intentioned maybe… but hilariousto anyone who wanders widely [as Japan Times would better be called the Tokyo Times as anything beyond Saitama or Chiba is the mysterious wilderness countryside and the thought of anything noteworthy happening beyond local train lines is staggering, i tell ya, staggering!]
- Why is the most exciting art in Japan so hard to get to? (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)
- A list of Japan’s remote art sites (Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times)
Field Notes: Anyway, this preamble suggests this article will share something useful about the region however it does not
My experience, despite living so close, is very limited and in this case the following snapshots are from a simple day trip to Naoshima in which I visited zero museums
You see, in June 2019, my arborist wife was working nearby Uno port, a jumping off point to the islands, so I bussed over (along, the way documented my reading, coffees and flashbacks per usual in: Diary: Musings towards Uno + Smugglers book, provided Pyjamas, and Vancouver history
We stayed over at the Uno Port Inn which is right by the ferry docks and some art installations that you likely seen photos of (if not, look below), then i ferried over, listened to Game 7 of Stanley Cup finals on headphones as i wandered the town, smoked cigarillos, soaked in the stellar “I Love Yu” bath (protip: buy the towel) and of course, found a café and post office.
Ya see, my energy (due to #MECFS) was super low and i was overwhelmed by the possibilities. I did see the usual Kusama Yayoi and other installations right in close to ferry dock – snaps ahoy – but didn’t catch the bus to explore widely, didn’t know about The Island Art Center at that time, and didn’t stay over. Rode ferry back, waterfront walk and okonomiyaki at a tiny hole in the building resto and bunked down at Uno Port (and they took my photo to prove it)
Since then, I’ve learned much more but really the best resources are below in the form of Setouchi Explorer blog and Island Art Center’s dispatches. But hey, some fun snaps of ferries, outdoor installations and other cafe and villages vibes here.
Consider this a placeholder for further documentation {if you have something “non-generic tourist pablum to share, let me know}
Ferry to Island
Art Around
always bath time
Around the village
Ferry back to Uno
Sculpture in Uno
Useful tid-bits
Dvo top handy
Island Art Center アート島センター {map} – a project by McCormick family making a bookshop, stationery store, cafe and workshops as well as publishing chapbooks
I particularly enjoy this article: Island Voices: Motoyuki Shitamichi’s Inland Sea Archive by By A. D. McCormick for Island Art Center {https://artisland.jp/en}
Uno Port Inn {map}: a cute, calm, quirky inn where we stayed and have stopped for great coffee a few times + Uno Port inn web “a popular B&B among international travelers visiting Naoshima/ Teshima, an old Japanese Ryokan was reborn as Uno Port Inn in 2016” + their overview of the “art islands“
I Love Yu sento “I♥︎湯” {map}: a public bath created by Shinro Ohtake in the village done up in fantastic style (the name is a play on words as the sound/word for “hot water” is the same as “you”) also: Benesse Art Site listing
Short: a few of above links in Naoshima and areas and a few basics and standards in Okayama for portable use
Video: Hiroshima-based, sustainability-focused travel and community sparker, JJ Walsh has a video dispatch about Naoshima (causes she’s got one about everything :))
Setouchi Explorer by David Billa: a Frenchman living in the Setouchi Inland Sea area provides nuanced (and frank) commentary about the art island the bio-region in general via website and various social channels including this disambiguation guide
Benesse Art Site Naoshima – official guide from this benefactor
Snaps from Pals
Since my documentation is so meagre, here are a few photos from friends, including Kris Krüg, Jen Harvey, and Leah Gregg et al, who came for our wedding #DRO420 and set off, exploring the islands, capturing some wonderful scenes, included are a few of their photos to round out this dossier {btw, if you find this article and have other links i can drop, hit me up)
Dinner in Uno
back to my snaps: ya wont find this joint in your guidebook, wander down the alley (which looks like the entrance to a Naoshima art gallery) and find a granny rocking okonomiyaki like no big deal
Further Reading
Japan Times: “Waves of change washed over the Seto Inland Sea during the 2010s” by Amy Chavez (who lives / runs a beach bar on Shiraishi Island and has a great new book out called “The Widow, The Priest and the Octopus Hunter“) Bonus: Sailing Japan’s Inland Sea
National Geographic UK’s: The Cool List 2019 01 Setouchi Eye-popping art and a scenic coast
Note: Nat Geo breaks their own links – sheeesh – so catch this blurb below via a Wayback Machine archived source
Why now? Japan is to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and for those looking to avoid the crowds in Tokyo or Osaka, Japan’s Inland Sea is the ideal low-key getaway.
Main attractions: England, Scotland and Ireland will all play at Kobe Misaki Stadium, and there’s plenty to do once the final whistle goes. Visit cities such as Hiroshima, or Matsuyama, or island-hop on the Inland Sea. Naoshima (Japan’s ‘art island’) has Chichu Art Museum, with works by Monet, James Turrell and Walter De Maria, as well as Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkin sculptures. In 2019, it joins 12 other islands and two ports in hosting the Setouchi Triennale art festival. The region is also known for its Kobe beef — fatty, pink, marbled cuts — so carnivores won’t go hungry.
Don’t miss: Kurashiki, in Okayama Prefecture — dubbed the Venice of Japan, thanks to its Edo-period canal area. POC
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2018/12/the-cool-list-2019#setouchi {archived link}
PS Nat Geo photographer James Whitlow Delano xTw timeline (Oct. 25, 2024) shows the venerable periodical is again scouting around the area so keep an eye out for future coverage
Oh great article: Naoshima, Teshima, and the True Meaning of “Derivé” on Japan’s Art Islands by Laine Bruzek in Here Magazine
There is no way to plan your journey through these islands. Sure, you can map a route between official exhibits and try to stick to it—but that would be entirely missing the art that exists along the way: the absolutely perfect color of a café’s deck against the sea, an architectural pile of driftwood on the beach, the drama of all the islands’ stray cats. I felt the same standing in front of the vast sea as I did surrounded by dozens of friendly cats in the wharf as I did stepping into James Turrell’s immersive color exhibits: surprisingly and utterly transported.
That’s what I ended up photographing: all the things I had to get off my bike to look at. It didn’t matter what was an “exhibit” and what was nature; the islands are built to make you stop for both.
Setouchi Triennale Islands, Art and more… (FB group, just it exists)
the missing pumpkin story
Onwards to Islands, ahoy
Hey, there are looooads of other islands to explore (each with fewer folks than Naoshima :), we visited Teshima {diary} and Shodoshima {historic tree and Yokai museum}, our pal Kris Krug visited some others, making friends along the way including this cute couple (i think) on Oshima.
Don’t forget Benton Homestead & Guesthouse on Omishima {map} and the “missing post office” on Awashima {map} if you are looking to make a circuit
Parting shot
i’ll leave this scene from Uno port Police Koban by the trains station for your investigation and confusion
