Art lover’s paradise | 3 days in Naoshima
Long-haul flight Taxi 3-hour shinkansen ride 1-hour local bus 20-minute ferry Plus a 10-minute mini bus Finally arrived at Naoshima in Seto Inland Sea Because of the triennial art festival Several small islands in Setouchi Have become popular travel destinations But is it a sanctuary for art lovers Or just a hotspot for trendy check-ins Let’s find out over these next three days Just came back to Naoshima from Teshima Welcoming us at the port Was Yayoi Kusama’s big red pumpkin Seeing it made me feel as happy as a kid The artist Yayoi Kusama Has suffered from hallucinations since childhood Visions and sounds infinitely expanding Often troubled her In her hallucinations The world was covered in endless dots She grew up in the countryside She found the pumpkins in the fields clumsy and simple But they gave her a sense of safety Creating pumpkins with polka dots Was her way of healing her own inner world through art Returning from the Pumpkin House to Benesse House A staff member guided us through the museum To beach, where we would be staying Benesse House has four types of accommodations The Museum, Oval, Park, and Beach Each with its own unique character The Beach was completed in 2006 It was the last one to be built As the name suggests It’s located right next to the beach Facing the Seto Inland Sea directly Compared to the strong features from Oval Wing This place feels more relaxing Warmer and more comforting I usually don’t like tiled bathrooms Because they can be grimy But this one is so well maintained It shows no signs of wear This space really allows you to fully relax Zone out or doodle whatever you want On the deck outside the hotel Quietly watching the sea Then go for a walk And visit the outdoor art installations Many of the pieces along the way Were already installed here at Benesse House in the 90s And their colors are still vibrant today It shows just how much care they put into maintenance The destination of our walk was Naoshima’s iconic yellow pumpkin Yayoi Kusama’s polka dots seem more popular than ever But this pumpkin has been stationed here since 1994 In 2021, Typhoon Lupit brought large waves That swept the pumpkin into the sea Photos of the massive pumpkin in water Were widespread on social media The pumpkin was badly damaged It was retrieved from the sea And restored to its original spot in 2022 Now it’s even more loved than before Dinner was at the hotel’s French restaurant Outside the window, an overly energetic fish Kept jumping above the calm water The restaurant features ingredients from Kagawa Prefecture The food was unexpectedly great Although the whole day was cloudy The evening brought a stunning pink sunset I wanted to dash out of the restaurant to enjoy the view You could faintly see Golden sunlight reflecting off Takamatsu Port across the sea I’m always moved By these Ichigo Ichie moments At night we walked along the beach And went to see the yellow pumpkin at the pier again Just like the humble pumpkins That kept the lonely artist company With no crowd lining up for photos It felt like this pumpkin was quietly guarding this special little island Looks like it’s finally a sunny day on our last morning here If only yesterday had been sunny too But we can’t expect everything to go our way What matters more is cherishing the experiences we do get There’s still so much more to explore on Naoshima By the way, the name “Benesse” Means “well-being” or “live well” So we followed The slow-living lifestyle recommended in the hotel’s booklet Woke up early to breathe in the fresh air Under the sunlight, the sea turned a clear blue-green The leaves and grass seemed extra lush and green too When nature becomes the frame for art The artwork gives off a different impression Like these three steel plates They cast different shadows at different times And gently rotate in the wind Symbolizing the passage of time in the air The Benesse House grounds are vast Unlike a resort There are no fences here It blends completely into the natural surroundings As you walk out to the boardwalk All you see are the mountains and the sea But don’t be fooled by the calm surface of the water There are a lot of jellyfish in the sea So it’s not really suitable for swimming Looking back There’s a seascape work by Hiroshi Sugimoto Hanging quietly on the rocks A little Easter egg Next to the beach The artist used abandoned boats as installations Letting sea breeze, sunlight, and time refine them Breakfast time Is there anything more ceremonial than a Japanese breakfast Each pickle has its own specialty plate! Good thing I’m not the one washing the dishes Whew Walking through Benesse Museum again in daylight The atmosphere feels completely different But today’s theme is exploring outdoor art With the sun shining bright Let’s go wild outside for a bit Valley Gallery Tadao Ando’s ninth building on Naoshima A small cosmic chapel he dedicated to his mentor Inside is Kusama’s Infinity Reflecting Ball And by Ozawa Tsuyoshi 88 little Buddha statues made of industrial slag Representing the 88 temples of Shikoku The building is classic Ando style Geometric, concrete Naturally lit Works by Korean-born artist Lee Ufan Reflect the Mono-ha spirit He focuses on the relationship between objects Objects and environment Objects and viewers Rather than artistic technique To produce value Every piece in the museum was intentionally unfinished For example This gate made of stone and steel strips Is crafted in a very simple way But paired with its surroundings The day and light when I see it The angle I view it from Are elements that complete this art In the daytime Visited Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Time Corridor again Turns out the name comes from A retrospective of his own series A reflection on his past works And it echoes His ongoing exploration of the theme of time I saw his retrospective in London before And was amazed by his vast body of work And the range of medias he covered Coming to this space I suddenly realized He’s always been capturing “moments” in different forms Making time tangible Took the bus to Honmura, a village outside the park To explore the Art House Projects Naoshima’s population had a sharp decline Many homes were left vacant Benesse Corporation And Tadao Ando launched Art House Projects To let artists renovate empty homes And involve the locals in the process Now Honmura has seven such art houses Encouraging visitors to go beyond the museum grounds And truly experience the local neighborhood I really enjoy these quaint alleyways They preserve the look of old machiya houses There are flowers and plants along the road At the end of the street are convex mirrors Helping pedestrians avoid incoming cars As you climb stone steps to the hilltop You’ll find an old shrine redesigned by Sugimoto With 14 glass steps Connecting the shrine above to the stone chamber below Photography isn’t allowed inside But the Time Corridor includes a model Where you can clearly see the internal structure The model shows a corridor facing the horizon Which matches the narrow walkway I’m on now At the end is indeed the blue sea Another striking lesson in contemporary art The Ando Museum is also in Honmura The simple space Helped me better understand his design philosophy What really blew my mind was He was self-taught in architecture Back when there was no YouTube or Bilibili How did he even teach himself such a complex subject？ OK, after all this contemporary art I seriously need an iced coffee Naoshima has so many charming cafes I got one and slowly sipped it in the back garden Feeling incredibly relaxed I spent the rest of the time slowly wandering the village Admiring the flowers and plants under local rooftops And saying hi to a lazy cat Stopped by a cute tea shop to see Showa-era toys You can really feel firsthand here That aging is still a serious issue on Naoshima When I passed a school and saw children inside I was honestly moved If there are kids, there’s still hope Living simply on an island like this seems pretty nice Maybe one could live like in Tao Yuanming’s Peach Blossom Spring paradise Though I was lost in that thought It’s already time to pack And return to the hustle and grind of reality Goodbye, wonderful Benesse House May the spark you’ve kindled—of art and economy Grow into a roaring, sustaining fire To keep fueling these lovely islands in the Setouchi area
来这里，也许是为了那颗爆红全球的南瓜；留下来，却是因为吹拂岛屿的海风、随时变幻的光影，以及仍守护着这片海域的人们。
如果你也曾纠结“这里到底是艺术圣地，还是打卡胜地？”——这趟旅程，也许能给你答案。
一起踏上一段慢旅行：穿越长途航班、新干线与轮渡，最终抵达日本濑户内海的小岛——直岛。在这里，艺术、建筑与日常生活悄然交叠。
本期视频亮点
Benesse House room tour
草间弥生的南瓜们
杉本博司《海景》 & 乔治·里基的动感方块
Valley Gallery
安藤忠雄在直岛的第九座建筑——洞穴般白盒子中，草间弥生《水仙花园》镜球与小泽刚《熔渣佛 88》相遇。
本村 Art House Project
岛上日常时刻
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Come for the famous pumpkins, stay for the wind, the light and the people who still guard these islands. If “art versus Instagram spot” has ever crossed your mind, this journey might help you decide.
Join me on a slow-travel pilgrimage to Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, where long-haul flights, bullet-trains and ferries finally land us on Naoshima — the tiny island where art, architecture and everyday life quietly overlap.
In this video you’ll see …
Benesse House room tour – why “Benesse” literally means well-being, plus a sunset walk from the Museum Wing to the more laid-back Park Wing.
Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkins – the story of its 1994 arrival, the 2021 typhoon that swept it away, and its triumphant 2022 return.
Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Seascape and George Rickey’s kinetic squares
Valley Gallery – Tadao Ando’s ninth Naoshima building, Kusama’s Narcissus Garden mirror spheres roll into Tsuyoshi Ozawa’s 88 Slag Buddhas.
Art House Project in Honmura village
Local island moments