Naoshima, Island in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan
Naoshima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, part of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is known for its contemporary art museums, outdoor sculptures, and old houses converted into art spaces, all scattered across the island's southern and central areas.
For much of the 20th century, Naoshima was home to a large copper smelting plant that damaged much of the island's plant life. In the late 1980s, the Benesse Corporation began funding art and architecture projects on the island, starting the transformation that defines it today.
The Art House Project in the village of Honmura turns old wooden houses into exhibition spaces that sit side by side with ordinary family homes. Walking through the narrow streets, you notice fabric curtains in doorways and subtle signs of art that only reveal themselves as you get closer.
Most visitors arrive by ferry from Takamatsu or Okayama, and the crossing takes only a short time. Once on the island, renting a bicycle or electric bike at Miyanoura Port is the most practical way to move between the art sites, especially on the hilly southern stretch.
The public bathhouse on the island, known as I Love Yu, is itself an artwork by Shinro Ohtake, filled with unexpected objects and colorful surfaces. Visitors can actually bathe inside it, making it one of the few places in the world where you soak in a working art installation.
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