What kind of contemporary art can I enjoy in Naoshima Island? A summary of contemporary art works that you must see even if you don’t have much time

Naoshima island is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea that belongs to Naoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture. It is known as the “Holy Land of Contemporary Art” and many young people and foreigners visit to appreciate contemporary art.

Naoshima island can only be approached by boat, with ferries and passenger boats operating from Kagawa and Okayama prefectures. It takes about 1 hour from Takamatsu Port (Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture) and about 20 minutes from Uno Port (Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture). The number of ferries and passenger boats is relatively high. The island gets crowded during the tourist season, so it is recommended that you use a town bus or a rental cycle to get around the island relatively smoothly.

A town bus runs from Miyaura Port, where ferries and passenger boats arrive and depart, to the Tsutsuji-so bus stop via the Honmura area, where the Art House Project and ANDO MUSEUM is located. Yayoi Kusama’s work “Pumpkin” is displayed near Tsutsuji-so. From Tsutsuji-so, you can transfer to the Benesse Art Site Naoshima’s shuttle bus and go to the Chichu Art Museum. It takes about 30 minutes from Miyaura Port to the Chichu Art Museum, including bus transfers. To get to Art House Project / ANDO MUSEUM, take the town bus bound for “Tsutsuji-so” and get off at the bus stop “Nokyo-mae.”

What is Benesse Art Site Naoshima?

Benesse Art Site Naoshima” is the collective name for art activities that Benesse Holdings and the Fukutake Foundation have been developing in the Seto Inland Sea since 1985 on the islands of Naoshima island, Teshima island (Kagawa Prefecture) and Inujima island (Okayama Prefecture). The artworks are not placed only in the indoor facilities of the museum, but on the entire island, making the entire island like a museum. Contemporary artworks in harmony with the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea are scattered all over the island. By the way, the Setouchi Triennale International Art Festival, held every three years, is an event organized by Benesse Art Site Naoshima and Kagawa Prefecture. It consists of exhibitions of contemporary art works, events by artists and theater troupes, and events linked to local traditional performing arts at 12 islands in the Bisan Seto region, including Naoshima island, Shodoshima island, Megijima island, and two ports, Takamatsu and Uno.

Below is a list of contemporary art works and sightseeing spots that you must see and visit when you visit Naoshima island, even if you don’t have time to see them.

Benesse House

“Benesse House” is a facility that integrates a contemporary art museum and a hotel. Designed by architect Tadao Ando, the building itself is a work of art. Benesse House has a permanent collection of site-specific works created by artists for Benesse House as well as paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations, and other works. You can appreciate works that fuse nature, art and architecture.

The Benesse House Museum is open from 8:00 to 21:00 (last entry at 20:00).

Chichu Art Museum

Most of the Chichu Art Museum is buried underground so as not to spoil the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea. Benesse’s founder Soichiro Fukutake purchased Claude Monet’s “The Water Lily Pond,” and this museum was conceived and constructed to exhibit the “Water Lilies” series. Designed by Tadao Ando.

The Chichu Art Museum consists of three buildings: the Monet Room, where five works from Claude Monet’s “Waterlilies” series can be viewed in natural light while underground; the Turrell Room, where James Turrell’s works are on display; and the De Maria Room, which utilizes an atrium from the third basement floor to the ground floor.

In the construction process, the artists themselves, curators, and architects exchanged ideas and opinions, resulting in an art museum where the entire building functions as a site-specific work of art, something not seen anywhere else other than Chichu Art Museum. Between the parking lot and the approach to the Chichu Art Museum, there is also a garden named “Chichu no Niwa,” which is modeled after the “Giverny Garden” that Claude Monet landscaped himself.

The Chichu Art Museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00 (last admission 17:00). In winter, the closing time is moved up one hour. The museum is closed on Mondays. If Monday is a national holiday, the museum is open on Monday and closed the following day.

Red Pumpkin / Pumpkin

On Naoshima island, the large “Red Pumpkin” and “Pumpkin (Yellow Pumpkin)” with polka dots by Yayoi Kusama, a representative artist of contemporary art, are exhibited outdoors. The “Red Pumpkin” in Miyaura Port is hollow inside, so you can go inside and enjoy various commemorative photos. “Pumpkin (Yellow Pumpkin)” is located in the area around Benesse House and is said to be a landmark work of Naoshima island. It takes about 15 minutes from Miyaura Port to “Pumpkin (Yellow Pumpkin)” by using the town bus. “Pumpkin (yellow pumpkin)” is permanently displayed on the pier that protrudes into the sea, but when the weather is stormy, several people move it to a safe place and store it until the storm passes.

Art House Project

The “Art House Project” is an art project being developed in the Honmura area. The project, which began in 1998, currently has seven properties open to the public. This is an attempt by seven artists to renovate and remodel vacant houses scattered about an old townscape that has been flourishing for about 300 years, and to transform the space itself into a work of contemporary art. It consists of 7 buildings called “Kadoya”, “Minamidera”, “Go’o Shrine”, “Haisha”, “Gokaisho”, “Ishibashi”, and “Ginza”, and installation works using them. You can see everything except “Ginza” with a common ticket.

The Art House Project is open from 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry at 16:15). Closed on Mondays. If it falls on a national holiday, it will be open and closed the following day. Ginza is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. At least 2 hours is necessary even for rough sightseeing.

Due to the way the “MInamidera” viewing system works, the number of people allowed into the facility is limited, and numbered tickets are distributed.

Naoshima Bath

Naoshima Sento (Naoshima Bath) “I♥湯” is a public bathhouse, but it is an art facility where you can appreciate artworks while actually taking a bath. By the way, “湯” is pronounced “yu”, so “I♥湯” meaning “I love you.” 2 minutes on foot from Miyaura Port. It is also a place of interaction between visitors from Japan and abroad and the islanders. The opening hours are from 13:00 to 21:00 (last entry at 20:30). Closed on Mondays. If it falls on a national holiday, it will be open and closed the following day.

Naoshima Pavilion

“Naoshima Pavilion” is a work of the Setouchi Triennale. Naoshima Town is a town made up of 27 islands, and this work was created with the concept of being the 28th island. It consists of about 250 pieces of triangular stainless mesh, and you can enter inside. At night, it is lit up and looks fantastic. It is installed near the “Red Pumpkin”.

Ebisu Shrine Torii Gate

“Ebisu Shrine Torii” is a torii gate that is half buried in the sandy beach of Gotanji Beach. Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin (Yellow Pumpkin)” is nearby, so some people mistake the torii gate for a work of art, but it is a real torii gate that is said to pass through the god of fisheries and the sea. Even the locals don’t know why the torii gate was buried.