This post was written in 2006. Some information may be out of date.
After a night in Okayama, we head for Naoshima. The sea between Japan’s main island and Shikoku is called the Seto Inland Sea, and Naoshima is one of the countless islands in it. It’s an island famous for its architecture, and people had told me I absolutely had to go.
The Seto Ohashi Bridge, linking the main island and Shikoku.
To get to Naoshima you take a ferry from Uno Port, and the bridge was on the way, so we stopped by. It’s seriously huge.
About 20 minutes from Uno Port and we were on Naoshima. Close! ^_^
Pumpkin
This is a work by Yayoi Kusama. Pretty unique, right? ^_^ It’s the unofficial spot for your “I was on Naoshima” photo.
The cafeteria attached to the resort on the island.
The design seemed seriously accomplished, so I asked, and it turns out it’s by Tadao Ando. Looking into it, I found that most of the buildings on the island are Tadao Ando’s work.. The windows are enormous.
The sea view from the terrace
You can see the Seto Inland Sea. Well.. it kind of feels like being on the Mediterranean ^_^
The corridor behind the gift shop
This is Tadao Ando’s work too.
Outdoor sculpture
Outdoor sculpture
Love the touch of giving it a streetlight ^_^
Outdoor sculpture
Really cool ^_^ A sculpture that suits its seaside setting perfectly.
The island also has an architecture-and-art museum called Benesse House, which gathers works by famous artists from Japan and abroad. The design is, of course, by Tadao Ando. Museum rules don’t allow photos inside, so I only took pictures of the exterior.
Tenpi (The Secret of the Sky)
Lying on those round stones and looking up at the sky, I felt completely at ease. That’s when I felt what really good architecture is.
A terrace overlooking the sea
The sea isn’t in the shot, but.. it’s a terrace overlooking the sea. The photos on the wall aren’t a grayscale chart ^_^ They’re from the horizon series by the internationally famous photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, shots of sea horizons from all over the world. About twice as many originals as you can see in the photo above were hanging there, which is more than you’d find at a mid-sized exhibition. On a hunch I asked, and it turns out Hiroshi Sugimoto was involved in building this museum too. Apparently he drops by now and then.
By the way, Hiroshi Sugimoto is famous for his photo series called Dioramas.. Even if you’ve never heard his name, you’ve probably seen the pictures.
The sea seen from the upstairs terrace
I think these buildings wouldn’t mean anything anywhere other than the Seto Inland Sea. Architecture really is a subtle, profound thing.
The Chichu Art Museum ticket center
Again, museum rules meant no photos inside. The museum has a mere six works, yet admission is 2,000 yen, and on top of that there was an hour’s wait, so I really hesitated over whether to go. But once I was inside, there were works that overturned everything I thought I knew about architecture. I didn’t regret the time or the money one bit. The ideas and the technical skill are simply astonishing. Especially James Turrell’s Open Sky.. If it weren’t for the ferry schedule, I could have stayed in there alone for hours.
Finally, the highlight of the island: the Art House Project. Works showing the endless possibilities of architecture as art are gathered together in a single village.
The first place we went was Tadao Ando’s Minamidera (South Temple).
Once you go inside, it’s pitch dark with no light at all. After sitting on a bench for about ten minutes, your eyes adjust to the darkness and you start to see something hazy like a screen in front of you. Then you stand up, walk toward the light, and touch it or just feel it. Apparently Tadao Ando wanted this building to express the process of finding your own light. It was a mystical experience, like seeing the very limit of what art can do through architecture.
The second place was Kadoya.
A building that recreates Japanese tradition with a modern sensibility. It’s a truly unique space with an almost fantasy-like atmosphere. Multicolored seven-segment LEDs twinkling under rippling water in a dark room.. I was really glad I came in summer.
Go’o Shrine
The entrance is tiny. Go 4-5 meters inside and there’s a stone chamber, with the shrine inside it. In the shrine, a staircase of glass as clear as ice connects the ground above with a pool of water in the cave, and the daylight reflected in the pool made the stairs look unreal and mysterious. A perfectly fitting place to welcome the gods.
There was one more Art House Project site, but you had to book in advance to see it, so I couldn’t go this time. Apparently people go in one at a time for 15 minutes…
Naoshima is a place anyone interested in architecture will never regret visiting. For more details, check the link below.. though there don’t seem to be any photos there, sadly.
http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/index.html