Naoshima & Teshima
Pumpkin (2022) by Yayoi Kusama.
The original 1994 Pumpkin was lost to a typhoon in 2021.
I first visited Naoshima in the Autumn of 2018, and it was one of the most memorable parts of my first trip to Japan. Getting to Naoshima takes a little bit of work, which more than pays off when you experience the incredible artworks in such a tranquil setting.
While the image of Yayoi Kusama’s yellow pumpkin on Naoshima has become well recognised, not so many visitors to Japan actually make it to Naoshima to see it and all the other great artworks the islands hosts, and even fewer make it to the sister art islands Teshima and Inujima.
I think the art is well worth the pilgrimage, but rather than talk about the art I would like to give some context as to why these works from around the world ended up on a small island in Japan, something that often seems to get left out when Naoshima is written about.
It’s cliche to say Japan is full of intense contrasts but Naoshima is a good example. While some people have referred to Naoshima as “Art Island” - the north half of the island is actually still a huge copper smelting facility for Mitsubishi Materials. Until the early 1990s the southern half was reliant on fishing, with an aging population and a growing pollution problem. Emissions from the refinery had devastated trees on the island leaving it barren.
Benesse Corporation is a huge language education company based in Okayama and the owners of Berlitz, a well known brand outside Japan. I’ve definitely owned a few of their phrase books over the years! I picked up a really interesting book on Naoshima called With Art As My Weapon written by Soichiro Fukutake, the former CEO which dives into the why of Naoshima’s transformation.
He inherited the company, and land on Naoshima that was earmarked for a resort that was never built. He discovered the island was extremely polluted from the smelting plant, and had a radical idea to heal the island by developing it with what he calls “Public Interest Capitalism”.
He partnered with renowned architect Tadao Ando to create Benesse House - a contemporary art museum and hotel. Benesse had already amassed an impressive art collection, and site specific pieces were commissioned and installed surrounding the building. The museum and hotel are intertwined, and if you’re lucky enough to stay in the hotel you can browse the art pieces after-hours. This was part of Fukutake and Ando’s vision for Naoshima - that you are living inside the museum.
Ando went on to design many more of the museums on the island, and there is a museum dedicated to him himself in a 100 year old house in one of the villages. The first time I visited I remember thinking some of these striking concrete buildings in the remote setting giving me a James Bond villain lair vibe - later on I read that the island was used in a (non Ian Fleming) 2002 Bond novel!
As we walked along the beach and took in some of the outdoor art works, huge industrial ships could be seen in the Seto sea never too far away.
Coming from Ireland, the first time I visited Japan I found it striking to see so much industry co-existing with residential areas, even coast line. Not many places seemed off limits other than the mountains. I think in Europe we want our factories out of sight and out of mind, and definitely not on the coast.
Seeing all of this going on around us didn’t take away from the tranquility of the island at all for me, but rather complemented it and gave me things to reflect on. A reminder of how the world works with the cogs of industry constantly moving, and how lucky I was to be here appreciating the success of Fukutake’s vision in reclaiming a small part of it back.
If you make it to Naoshima, don’t leave out the lesser visited Teshima. You can take a ferry between the islands, and from Teshima back to Uno Port which is what I did on the last day.
The Teshima Art Museum is the building itself, and was an incredible tranquil and moving experience. You could easily spend an hour in it. Filming & photography is not allowed, but I found it an unforgettable experience. The water drop shaped building has two large openings to the elements, so the experience will be different depending on the wind, light, rain and sounds outside. When I visited it was a blue sky day, but the day before had very heavy rain so it left wondering what it might have been like on that day!
A two night stay on Naoshima
The first time I visited Naoshima I did it as a day from Okayama, but when I retuned I stayed two nights. I’ve written before about benefits of overnighting in typical day trip destinations, and Naoshima is definitely somewhere to consider staying.
In keeping with the vision of living among the artworks of the Naoshima project, if you stay you will see a lot more of the outdoor installations of the island, and get to see them when the day trippers aren’t around.
Here’s my recommendations for a nice stay on Naoshima that won’t break the bank:
Museums
Like I said earlier, I’m not going to talk about the art here - you should go and experience that for yourself. There is lots to see, but the larger museums are a must-see. Here’s what we visited during a two day stay in Spring 2024, with plenty of time to explore the nearby outdoor works too.
Naoshima
Chiuchu Art Museum
Benesse House Museum
Lee Ufan Museum
Ando Museum
Teshima
Teshima Art Museum
Teshima Yokoo House
🛌 MY LODGE - A modern small guesthouse decked out with everything from MUJI. It’s walking distance up a hill from Miyanoura Port, although it was raining heavily when we arrived so we got one of the island’s two taxis to drop us off. Breakfast was an additional add on, and the breakfast room had a beautiful view of the sea.
🥃 BAR Queen's-Q - the only bar we could find open late on the island. It was just recently opened when we visited and Kai, the passionate bartender roasts his own coffee on site. The bar isn’t open during the day - he roasts the coffee purely for a few coffee cocktails on the menu! I tasted his coffee which had lovely peach notes, and we sampled local beer and even shared a Guinness! There is a fine selection of Japanese whiskey available too. Highly recommended, and they have a sister bar of the same name in Roppongi, Tokyo although I haven’t made it there yet.
🍳 SPARKY’S Coffee - one of the few places open early, we had a nice breakfast set here on the second morning. Quirkily decorated with a bit of a halloween / Tim Burton theme!
☕️ Mikazukishoten - very small shop selling delicious specialty coffee and a small selection of cool clothes. Nice corner to sit outside and chill out at.
🍚 Shokudou101 - renovated atmospheric old house on Teshima where we had a lovely vegetarian lunch of local vegetables while the sun beamed in through the shoji screens and a kettle whistled away on a gas flame for green tea. Booking essential.
Tips
🎟️ Booking Ahead - There are several of the museums you need to have booked ahead of time.
The Chichu Art Museum and Teshima Art Museum must be pre-booked. Chichu in particular gets booked out, and I saw visitors without reservations get turned away on the day. For me it was the star museum of the island and it would be a shame to come all the way and miss it, so make sure to set a reminder and get your tickets!
‼️ If you are visiting at the beginning of a week you should plan to visit Teshima on Monday and Naoshima on Tuesday.
Naoshima’s Chichu Art Museum & Lee Ufan Museum are closed on Monday, while the Teshima Art Museum is closed on Tuesday most of the year, and Tues/Wed/Thurs for December-February.
⛴️ The ferry running between Naoshima and Teshima does not operate on the days these museums are closed.
Always check the Museum opening hours and ferry timetables closer to your visit for any changes. You can still get to either island via Uno Port although it is unlikely you will be going to Teshima on a Tuesday.
There is luggage storage at the ferry ports at Uno Port, Naoshima and Teshima.
🚌 If you are visiting on a day trip I think renting a bike is essential. While there is an island bus service, and a Benesse House private bus between their museums, you don’t want to be spending too much time waiting for a bus to travel relatively short distances.
If you have more than a day, I would recommend a combination of walking and using the bus when necessary. The island has plenty of unexpected art works that you won’t experience unless you’re on foot.
Teshima doesn’t get as many visitors and the bus service is more limited. When we arrived by ferry, there wasn’t a bus that would get us to the museum in time for our slot. We joined up with some other visitors who had been on our boat to share a taxi to the museum.