Holiday in Naoshima

What makes Naoshima special as a destination?

Naoshima, a small island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, has transformed from a sleepy fishing village into one of the most exciting places for contemporary art worldwide. Since the 1990s, Benesse Holdings Corporation has realized a unique concept here: to place world-class architecture and modern art in dialogue with the traditional island landscape. The Chichu Art Museum, designed by star architect Tadao Ando and built entirely underground, houses only four artists — including Claude Monet's Water Lilies in a specially designed room that directs light so that the paintings appear almost alive. James Turrell's light spaces and Walter De Maria's spatial installation complement the experience. The Benesse House Museum combines hotel and museum: guests sleep among works by Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Yayoi Kusama's yellow pumpkin at the pier is the unofficial landmark of the island and one of the most photographed artworks in Japan. In the Art House Project, vacant houses in the village of Honmura have been transformed by international artists into walkable installations — particularly James Turrell's Backside of the Moon and Rei Naito's Kinza are unforgettable. The neighboring islands of Teshima (with the surreal Teshima Art Museum by Ryü Nishizawa) and Inujima expand the art experience. Every three years, the Setouchi Triennale takes place, turning the entire island region into a huge art festival. Naoshima is a magical place where art, nature, and Japanese aesthetics create a perfect symbiosis.