Naoshima- the power of art

Naoshima could have been one of those lonely, sad, grey places. In the 50s and 60s it was booming and there were 8000 people on the island. All thanks to a Mitsubishi factory which was and still is the biggest employer in there. Sounds like a beginning of a science fiction movie but the machines really did take work of many of the locals, leaving the island to a certain death with the drastically declining population. Many left in search of a job, education and better life. With only 3000 people Naoshima was disappearing when art came…

Benesse Holdings, a big Japanese company was searching for a home for their big collection of art. They wanted it to help the locals and they decided that Naoshima would be a perfect place to do it. Art would bring tourism to the island, tourism would bring jobs and jobs would bring people back.

Now the island is a must see for every art lover coming to Japan.

The first thing we spotted while entering the harbor on this small island was the red pumpkin with polka dots. I was contemplating its beauty from the deck when we reached the port and tourists started to flow out of the boat, running to the pumpkin. Everything to take an “alone” picture with it or because they were afraid it might get eaten if they waited any longer… 🙂

The beauty of Naoshima is also in its size, it’s a really small island perfect for a day trip on a bike. So straight from the ferry we went to rent a bike and hit the road. First we went to where it all started in 1992 so to the Benesse House Museum. Although it was the first one to be build, it struck us with the harmony and beauty of already a well developed concept. The exhibition of modern art was unbelievable and it included a massive ant house made of colorful sand and divided into flags of the world. Ants were building tunnels that would eventually make a flag collapse and colors to mix beyond recognition.

As much as we loved the museum we were a bit disappointed we couldn’t see the Oval, the most famous part of the building. At least the most famous looking at all the pictures and posters promoting it. In fact only the lucky ones with willingness to spend “a bit more” get a chance to see it. It’s part of the hotel.

Except for the “mother museum” there are also two more in the area Lee Ufan Museum and Chichu Art Museum. All three of them follow the theme of art in harmony with nature and they are rather small and in our humble opinion a bit overpriced. 1030 yen (around 10 dollars for Benesse House) for a visit that takes maybe an hour including ohhh and ahhh and me trying to take a picture from every angle possible is a bit too much in my opinion. Even for an admirable concept of helping a dying island with its population.

Cycling down to the beach we saw many open-air art works. But none of them was as impressive as “Pumpkin”, yellow sister of the one we saw by the port. This one was more peaceful, situated on the edge of a concrete pier that otherwise wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Sitting nearby on the beach we were admiring the Instagram-queue created by the Japanese tourists. Every one of them was waiting patiently in a line for their chance to get a lonely shot with the famous pumpkin. Only the kids didn’t seem to understand the laws of social media photography and were constantly interrupting the photo sessions with short sessions of pure fun.

Art has a unique way of giving new life to old and neglected things. That’s what happened with empty houses in Honmura area. Through the Art House Project lifeless spaces were converted into works of art and got the local community even closer to beauty. Ando Museum tights it all together with a background story of the island and the architect who stands behind the majority of the transition of that God forsaken place.

For me there was a certain cherry on the cake on our way back to the ferry. “I love yu” bath is a great example that modern art can be far from serious. The building screams “fun” with all of its colorful tiles, crazy t-shirts and palm trees in front of it. We were tempted to go in but unfortunately we didn’t have towels or eagerness to strip so we only sneak peaked through the door…

Just before going to Naoshima when I was doing a bit of a research of what was there to see I realized that it’s not the only island included in the Benesse Project. It has expanded on two more islands nearby with similar stories and some extraordinary museums. Unfortunately time and availability was not on our side with that one and we couldn’t visit Teshima and Inujima. Maybe it’s for the best, one more motive to come back 🙂

Handful of practical info:

  1. To get to Naoshima we took a ferry from Takamastu Port (slow ferry takes 50 minutes and costs 520 yen so around 5 dollars one way, speed boat takes half the time but costs more than double the price- 1220 yen so around 12 dollars). The other way to get to the island is to take a ferry from Uno Port which can take you either to Miyanoura Port or to the other side of the island- Honmura Port.
  2. The only way to get to Teshima is to get a ferry from Naoshima which is not very frequent. That very same ferry follows later on to Inujima. To see all 3 of the islands requires a bit of extra planning…
  3. The best way to see Naoshima is to rent a bike, it costs only 300 yen (around 3 dollars) for a whole day and it’s cheaper than bringing your own on the ferry. For the lazy, there is a bus option 🙂
  4. Naoshima is not a paradise for travelers on a shoe-string. Chichu Museum costs 2060 yen (around 20 dollars) and Lee Ufan and Benesse House cost 1030 yen each (around 10 dollars). To visit one of the Art Houses it’s 410 yen (around 4 dollars) but there is also a joined ticket to visit all 6 of them and it’s “only” 1030 yen (around 10 dollars). To finish off Ando museum is another 510 yen (around 5 dollars). Adding bike rental, ferry fare and maybe something to eat and you know you have to love art deeply to pay for all that 🙂
  5. There are many restaurants on the island as well as a few grocery stores and a 7 eleven so there is no way to die out of hunger 🙂

Open post
Matsuyama, Japan

6 reasons to visit Matsuyama

As soon as we arrived in Matsuyama we realized that it’s not on every traveler’s list. Western faces disappeared and only Japanese and Korean tourists passed us from time to time. We were actually wondering ourselves what we would do in there. Initially we wanted to visit one of Japan's most famous bath houses (Dogo Onsen). We changed our minds and thankfully we discovered mind blowing sights that kept us busy.

  1. Matsuyama castle

Although it was damaged by fires and World War II, walking through it we realized there was not much of the original construction left but we didn’t regret visiting it. The wide view on the city and lower parts of the castle is already a good enough reason to buy the ticket. Except for that, we got to find out a lot about the history of the castle and specific parts of it from extensive info in English. A treat really! The castle is situated on top of a hill which sounds and looks like quite a hike but it really isn’t. It’s just a nice walk up through a forest passing through a big garden and other smaller parts of the castle.

  1. Hidden bamboo forest

One of the most famous and most visited sights in Japan is a bamboo forest in Kyoto. There is no reason to wake up at dawn or line up with other people to see it. You can just go to Matsuyama. There is a really big one in there, completely overlooked and it's really a hidden gem. We stumbled upon it by accident. I guess we are just attracted by bamboo. There we really could hear the music that bamboo trees make when moved by the wind. Something that with crowds and cars passing you by just can’t be appreciated.

  1. The secret tunnel

While exploring the outside part of Matsuyama we saw a weirdly looking tunnel just on the side of the road. Interested we just went right in there. It turned out to be a tunnel leading to Ishiteji Temple. It was dark, a bit spooky and mysterious. We were passing statues of Buddha dressed up in crochet clothes and chandeliers with weird hangers on them. That tunnel alone was enough to impress us not to mention the temple.

  1. Ishiteji Temple

Getting out of the tunnel we reached the Ishiteji Temple which is part of an important pilgrimage route. There are walking sticks everywhere with intricate inscriptions and colorful chains of origami cranes. The main square is surrounded by many temple buildings and a three-storied pagoda.

  1. Isaniwa Shrine

The shrine raises impressively over the center of the city, already from the street we saw what looked like a million stairs to the top. It’s definitely worth a walk for the view of the city as well as for the shrine itself. It’s quite small but full of little details and ornaments.

  1. Public spa

Matsuyama is mainly famous for one of the oldest onsens (Dogo Onsen) in the country. But for those who don’t like that kind of entertainment or are travelling on a budget there are a few spots across the city where one can rest with their feet in warm water. In the one just opposite the Bocchan train station there is even a place to warm up your hands. Perfect spot to stop and take a break from a long, winter walk 🙂

How to get to Matsuyama?

From Hiroshima Port we took a slow ferry which takes 2.5 hrs and costs 2000 yen (around 17 euros). That’s a special, low price available only for foreigners. For those who can’t wait or just want to go there for a day trip there is also a speed boat (3800 yen(32 euros) and takes a bit more than 1 hr).