Attractions
Go arty island hopping in Naoshima
Naoshima is an island town in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. It’s known for its art museums. Built into the hillside, Chichu Art Museum has paintings from Monet's “Water Lilies” series. Benesse House Museum shows contemporary sculpture and installations. One of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic pumpkin sculptures stands by Miyanoura Port. On the east coast, the Art House Project is a collection of architectural art pieces.
more
Go arty island hopping in Naoshima
JAPAN // Naoshima is one of Japan's great success stories: a rural island that was on the verge of becoming a ghost town transformed into a world-class centre for contemporary art. Packed into this tiny spot in Japan's Inland Sea is a suite of architectural standouts, including museums and a boutique hotel designed by Tadao Ando. Traditional buildings have been turned over to creative installations, and dotted around the coast are several outdoor works, including the joyful Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama. Art even fills the public bathhouse, where you can soak beneath a life-size elephant sculpture. Other islands in the Inland Sea have caught the avant-garde bug, too. When you've finished in the galleries of Naoshima, why not hop on a ferry to Teshima to register your heartbeat at Les Archives du Cœur?