Naoshima

An island in Japan dedicated to art.

By Tim Chambers

April 14^th, 2016

Around the World — Stop 26

November, 2015

One of the last stops on our trip around the world was the small island of Naoshima in southern Japan. The community on the island has dedicated itself to art in a number of ways.

Through the Art House Project, the town gave several vacant houses over to artists to be reclaimed as site-specific installations, and they are all fascinating and unique. Some are modern interpretations of classic Japanese architecture and design, and some are building-sized sculptures and experiences, like Photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s interpretation of an ancient shrine, and James Turrell’s installation in which you sit in near-complete darkness for a few minutes until your eyes start to see a rectangle of dim light, which upon closer inspection is actually a seemingly infinite space instead of the flat white screen it appears to be at first.

The island is also home to the Benesse Art Site complex of museums and outdoor installations featuring works by numerous renowned modern and contemporary artists cleverly and curiously integrated into the environment. The museums and buildings themselves are also works of art by architect Tadao Ando, and we had a great time exploring the island noticing all the beautiful details around us.

Though it took several hours of bullet trains, regional trains, local trains, ferries, and shuttle busses to arrive from Tokyo, we highly recommend spending a couple days on the island. We were lucky to get a room in the Benesse House where each room has a different piece of art on display, and where a stay entitles you to explore the museum after hours at your own pace. We‘re thankful to our friends who recommended the island and the hotel to us, and we highly recommend a visit as well.