I really really recommend Naoshima, it is such a unique place. It’s an island on the inland sea which houses a contemporary art collection in two museums, installations in old village houses, and sculptures dotted around the island. This includes the pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama which I was so looking forward to seeing in person. You are not allowed to take pictures within the museums or installations so I don’t have any but there is really interesting work there.
We stayed in the Bennesse House Museum which was truly amazing. The splurge of the trip. It is expensive but so so worth it if you can manage the cost, we had a huge room with two views out to sea and some Joanna Bartlett artwork on the walls. Dinner was a formal Japanese meal in a room with a Basquiat painting on the wall. You can wander around the museum after it has closed. Such a strange experience to be alone with all these famous artworks.
We borrowed electric bikes from Bennesse House which in itself was a fun experience to ride them around in the sun. The island is small so you can get around by bike easily if you can manage the hill. The village is pretty and nice to walk around. The installations are mixed it within the village houses. The other museum is Chichu museum, designed by Tadao Ando and houses super star works such as Monet water lily paintings, a James Turrell open sky and a huge work by Walter de Maria.
If you stay on the island you get to see the pumpkin first thing in the morning :)
The electric bike!
I thought this guy cycling at the dock looked like Paper Boy, do you remember that computer game?
Recommended
I recommend the whole place! Go there and see everything. I know that they are building another museum there now so there will be even more to see soon. Here are some links for further information:
