Naoshima Island

We are here at the Benesse House on Naoshima Island in the inland sea after travelling from Nara by train and ferry.  It is truly beautiful here - very quiet and tranquil overlooking the sea which is a surprisingly busy sea lane (the inland sea is open to the ocean) with container ships plying backwards and forwards. 
The island is famous for it's art projects and is dotted with sculptures and exhibitions. The tri annual art festival enjoys international recognition. Various artists undertake projects, often turning old unused buildings into respresentations of the past or spirit of the past as they interpret it. Some of the sculptures are just fun.



Benesse House itself is a fascinating building and an extension of the art precinct.  It is austerely minimalist made from polished concrete and timber and surrounded by open space and water. The rooms are modern and feature original artworks but the tones are of greys and black with bare boards and timber furniture very simply shaped and sparse - comfortable in an austere way.




View from our balcony. Below is one of two pumpkins cultures which symbolise the island.


Last night we ate at the French restaurant within the hotel - several courses of one mouthful each but very beautifully presented.

Today we visited Chi Chu Art Museum (meaning underground in Japanese) and this concrete and stone building is largely underground although open to the sky via various open spaces rising up like chimneys - art pieces in themselves. Gardens based on Monet's garden in France lead up to the entrance and inside very dark, long empty spaces lead to the three permanent exhibitions of works by Monet, Walter De Maria and James Turrell.  Silence is requested within the museum and no photography is allowed - it is an impressive building but also oppressive in it's polished dark and tunnel like corridors and many empty rooms often dimly lit.

In the afternoon we experienced a project by James Turrell involving total blackness and the way our brains adjust and experience light- surreal for all and confronting and irritating for some.


Obviously this island is a very popular destination and even in Autumn attracts a large crowd who travel around by foot, electric bike or the small local bus.  It must be incredibly crowded in summer!
Tomorrow we travel to Kyoto for our last two nights - our adventure is almost over.




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