Get There: Naoshima

by Margaret Mann

edited by Jarrad Morgan and Kim-Chi Do

If you like art, especially modern art, then Naoshima (直島) is a must-see while you are in Japan. If you are like me and you enjoy looking at art but don’t consider yourself and “art person,” it is still a really interesting place to visit. It is definitely on my list of all time favorite places in Japan, and I have been to a lot.

I spent the 3 day weekend in September visiting the Seto Inland Sea International Art Festival (瀬戸内国際芸術際). The festival runs through October 31^st, but if you can’t make it that’s ok. Naoshima has many permanent art installations, as well as at least 3 art museums.

So, what is Naoshima?

by Jean-Sébastien Mayrand

Naoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea, the sea separating Honshu from Shikoku. Since 1989, Naoshima has hosted various art installations and the Benesse House, a hotel/museum opened in 1992. Since then, Benesse Holdings has sponsored a variety of art activities on the island, all of which now fall under the umbrella name Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Since then, Teshima (豊島) and Inujima (犬島), other nearby islands, have also begun hosting art exhibits.

In broad terms, Benesse Holdings took a small inaka island and turned it into a massive art project. The best part is that the citizens are involved as well. Benesse Holdings allows modern artists and architects to renovate old homes and other buildings that have fallen out of use on the island. By turning old, traditional buildings into modern art exhibits, the artists create unique spaces that combine modern art with the nature and history of the area.

What did you see?

I will admit up front that I know nothing about art. I enjoy looking at it, but I know nothing about it. However, the idea of Naoshima intrigued me. How can an island become a museum?

Our first stop was Naoshima. After getting off the ferry, the first thing that I noticed was that the island is far larger and more inhabited than I had imagined. On first glance, it looked like a normal inaka Japanese town. I had done very little research for this trip, leaving most of it up to my art-loving companion, so I had not looked anything up online or spent a lot of time looking at the guidebook. I had envisioned a fairly uninhabited, small island with a large museum at the center and some modern art statues scattered around. I was wrong—and thankfully so. What I saw was much cooler.

Naoshima has an amazing atmosphere—something I have never experienced anywhere, let alone Japan. It is a very old, very small town that has tradition and 200 year old homes, but it also has youth and energy. It is obvious that the art installations have revitalized the town, and not just economically.

Haisha Art House Project by Jean-Sébastien Mayrand

In a country where most tourists are older obachan and ojisan, Naoshima attracts a younger, more eclectic crowd. When we needed to sit for a few minutes to recover from all the awesome art we were seeing, we stopped off at the Yemeni coffee shop. For lunch we had Moroccan food in an old building with modern décor, except for the old samurai suit of armor and palanquin up on the 2^nd floor. One of my favorite exhibits was a modern art installation inside a refurbished temple. Everything about Naoshima is traditional and modern. It’s Japanese and it’s international. The dichotomy present in everything makes the entire island a piece of art. In contrast to a museum, the Art House Projects and other installation pieces are scattered throughout the town so you get to walk through the town itself and interact with the citizens on your way.

On Naoshima, I would say that the must-sees include the Art House Projects, the Benesse House Museum, and the Chichu Museum (see more on that below).

Usually, only Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima have art exhibits, with the exhibits on Naoshima outnumbering those on the other islands. However, as a part of the art festival, four other islands—Ogijima (男木島), Megijima (女木島), Shodōshima (小豆島), and Ōshima (大島)—are hosting art activities. I am not sure what will happen to these exhibits once the festival ends. I also visited Teshima, Ogijima, and Megijima. They all had some very interesting exhibits but I preferred Naoshima to all of them. Naoshima has a much longer relationship with art than the other islands. Although the other islands had some really beautiful, thought provoking art installations, the impermanence was obvious. The atmosphere of Naoshima was lacking on the other islands.

I won’t spoil things for those of you who want to go by giving detailed descriptions of any of the installations I saw. For those who are interested, you can read my personal blog entry about my trip.

How to get there:

The entrance to the Chichu Museum by David Buchler

There are a few ways to get to Naoshima, but the easiest from Kyoto is to take the shinkansen to Okayama (岡山駅). The shinkansen trip takes 64 minutes and costs around 6820 yen.

You then transfer to the Seto-Ōhashi line (瀬戸大橋線) to Chayamachi (茶屋町). You can either take the regular (21 minutes) or the Rapid Marine Liner (快速マリンライナー) which takes 14 minutes. This costs about 210 yen, though I believe the Rapid Marine Liner costs an extra 510 yen. However, we were not asked to pay this extra fee—probably because of the increased traffic due to the festival.

From Chayamachi, you switch trains (though you stay on the same platform) and get on the Uno Line (宇野線) to Uno station (宇野駅). This takes 24 minutes and costs 320 yen.

From Uno you have to take a ferry to Naoshima. The ferry port is just across the street from the station. There are 2 ports on Naoshima to choose from, Honmura-kō (本村港) and Miyanoura-kō (宮浦港). It might be a good idea to think about what you want to see and in what order before deciding where to start. During the festival, there are plenty of buses running, but I have heard that during other times the best way to get around is to rent a bicycle for 500 yen per day.

Lodging

If you really want to enjoy the island, I would suggest staying at least one night. However, there are only a few options for staying on the island.

The Benesse Art Site Naoshima has four hotel options: Museum; Oval; Park; and Beach. None of these are viable options for the traveler on a budget, but staying at one of these hotels does offer various perks.

Inside the Haisha art house project by David Buchler

• I stayed at Park. It was a gorgeous hotel with art displayed on the lower floors and a great view of the ocean and Takamatsu City on Shikoku across the water. The rooms make the most of natural light and natural elements. It is great for a romantic getaway. Also, the hotel made everything easy. When we checked in, they made our dinner and breakfast reservations for us (there are only 2 options, Japanese and Western, so reservations are necessary. We ate at the Japanese restaurant which only offers course meals at 6,000 yen, 8,000 yen, or 12,000 yen). By staying at the hotel we got night passes to the Benesse House Museum which meant we got to see it without the crowds. We also got to sign up for an early morning tour of the Chichu Museum which turned out to be a blessing. There was also a free bus between the ports and the museums for hotel guests only.
• Museum: As the name suggests, Museum is a hotel located inside the Benesse House Museum.
• Oval: This is probably the most expensive option, but its unique architecture—there are only 6 rooms in an oval shaped building, each with individual artwork displayed on the walls—and the location make it quite an attractive place to stay.
• Beach: Located on the beach, this hotel offers a panoramic view of the inland sea.

You can check room rates here:

http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/benessehouse/room/price.html

Although it was not an option during the festival, at other times people can stay at the more economical Naoshima International Camping Ground, designed under the supervision of Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Guests stay in Mongolian style yurts.

You can also stay at a hotel in Uno, Takamatsu (Shikoku), or Okayama. I think Uno or Takamatsu is the best idea. Because we decided to extend our trip at the last minute and it was a 3 day weekend during the festival, we got stuck staying in Okayama which required a lot of extra train travel. There are direct ferries from Uno and Takamatsu to Naoshima which make them more convenient for overnight stays.

Naoshima Exhibits

Art House Projects: The Art House Project is a permanent art project located near Honmura Port (本村港). I would suggest making Minamidera/Backside of the Moon your first stop because you have to register for a tour. Only 16 people can enter at a time and if you show up too late they will have stopped accepting reservations. On busy days this can happen before 14:00. Also, Kinza requires a reservation as people can only enter it one at a time and with a time limit of 15 minutes. The Art House Projects are open from 10:00-16:30 but are closed on Mondays. General admission is 1,000 yen but Kinza costs an extra 400 yen.

Haisha Art House Project by David Buchler

http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/arthouse/index.html

Benesse House Museum: The museum is open from 8:00-21:00 but last admission is at 20:00. Admission costs 1,000 yen unless you stay at the hotel. It displays indoor and outdoor works and while it is not especially large, I really enjoyed it. It has several pieces that were created specifically for Naoshima and is definitely worth some of your time. The museum can be reached by bus.

Benesse House by Jean-Sébastien Mayrand

Chichu Museum by Jean-Sébastien Mayrand

Chichu Art Museum: This was by far my favorite of the two museums I visited. Loosely translated, Chichu means “within the ground,” and it is an apt name for this museum. It was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and was constructed to allow the works of art to be lit with all natural light. In fact, I remember it being somewhat dark in the hallways but very bright in the exhibit rooms.  The building itself is listed as one of the exhibits of the museum. Admission is 2,000 yen and it is open from 10:00-17:00, last admittance at 16:00. My favorite was the Monet room that displays five of Monet’s Water Lily series (all originals) in a stunning white room. The designer thought about how to integrate each work into the space it would occupy.

This museum can get very crowded and the staff regulates the number of viewers in a room at a time. Most of these exhibits are best viewed alone but as that is impossible they try to regulate the number of people in each room. It means you have to wait, but you also get to enjoy the works more when you do get in. I would suggest going early to try to avoid crowds. We got there at 9:00, before the museum opens and by 10:00 the museum was really crowded and each exhibit had long lines waiting outside.

Advice

You have to organize your trip around bus and ferry schedules so you should think about this as you plan your schedule. Ferries stop running between the islands fairly early, around 18:00, and you can get trapped. Also, buses and ferry schedules are fairly inconvenient so think about what you want to do. Renting a bicycle to get around could be a great way to save time and get some exercise.

Naoshima has an awesome English site, so if you are interested, I would suggest checking it out. The site lists information about the exhibits, bus and ferry schedules, hotels, and much more. They have English speaking staff members at almost all of the places we visited as well.

http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/

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