days two hundred and one thru two hundred and four: april 7, 2016 thru april 10, 2016
On the 7th, we spent the day in transit on trains and boats making our way south to Teshima Island. Every three years, there is an art exhibition called the Setouchi Triennale. We had been told by friends of friends that Naoshima Island was a must visit if we had the time. After doing some research we discovered that Naoshima is just one of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea that houses permanent and temporary art installations. With our last minute planning we were only able to find one option for accommodations on any of the islands and to our pleasant surprise, it was an awesome AirBnB experience with Kazu Hide, a Teshima local who had returned home to grow and sell fruits and vegetables while also managing a small homestay. He was an excellent host and hosted us each night with tea and great conversation. He also cooked dinner for us one of the nights and it was quite exceptional.
After our arrival, he picked us up at the port and drove us around Teshima showing us the different art installations and where they were. He also showed us where the local restaurants were (only a few) and after we cleaned up and got settled he drove us into the center of town and dropped us off to eat dinner and returned to pick us up afterwards. The next morning he loaned us bicycles and we rode down into town together where he had arranged for us to rent electric bicycles to ride around the island.
One of our first stops was Teshima Art Museum, which is a permanent architectural installation that Teshima is most famous for. No photos were allowed inside the museum, but Jonathan did sneak the photo below. The installation is a cavernous cement structure with two circular openings with polished floors. Thru micropores in the floors small beads of water form and travel across the surface. Sound echoes in the large room so everyone is asked to stay silent. We both sat and walked around the room watching the water move from one place to another in the peaceful silence.
Without many eating options on the island we managed to find a small shop along the way that allowed us to make our own onigiri rice balls for a small price.
After our snack we continued to explore the island stopping at different installations along the way.
Two days later, we packed up and headed out on an early morning ferry to Naoshima. Most of the museums did not allow photos, so we did get to enjoy them without the pressure of trying to take any photos.
Of course, Jonathan did sneak a photo as we entered the gallery that housed several Monet paintings.
Later that afternoon we headed out on the last ferry to Takamatsu to spend the night before heading back north to Osaka. Takamatsu was a sleepy city, but we did manage to find some good food and watch a nice sunset.