Much like visiting Olkhon Island in Russia, our visit to Naoshima was the experience I was most excited about in Japan. The three trains and one ferry we travelled on from Hiroshima felt a bit like Christmas Eve; the anticipation building as we got closer to the outdoor sculptures, quirky restaurants and beautiful scenery of the ‘art island’. Naoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. It is best known for its art museums and outdoor art installations. It has a small population and two ports: Honmura on the east and Miyanoura on the west.
It was early afternoon when we stepped off the ferry at Miyanoura, and our accommodation, Little Plum, was a matter of metres away. We dropped off our bags, and, as the weather was surprisingly warm, removed a few layers of clothing. We walked the two kilometres to Honmura to visit the Art House Project. The project “involves the restoration of vacant houses into artworks by artists” (Art House Project ticket), and going there was a great way to spend the afternoon.
We had read several places that restaurants don’t stick to set opening hours on Naoshima, and the best way to find dinner is to walk around until you happen upon somewhere that is open. This proved to be the case, and we walked past several ‘closed’ signs before reaching a restaurant called Cin.na.mon. Getting served took a while as the restaurant was “crazy busy”, as one of the staff explained. After eating an excellent tasting, but far too small, meal, we walked down to the port and spent a while admiring two of the island’s outdoor sculptures.
On day two, Sunday, we rented bikes from Little Plum and set off to explore the hilly roads of the island. There are several bike rental shops on Naoshima, where the majority of people hire electric bicycles. Of course, we couldn’t possibly accept such motorised assistance (that’s cheating!), and opted instead for two very heavy, human-powered, town bicycles. We began an anti-clockwise loop of the Island, and followed the coast up a ridiculously steep hill past the Chichu and Lee Ufan art museums, before riding to Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Yellow Pumpkin. After a look at the sculptures outside Benesse House, we parked our bikes and walked into Honmura for breakfast. Few places were open, but we found an excellent cafe that had just started serving lunch.
After eating, we continued our loop of the Island, returning to where we started. After a stop at Kusama’s Red Pumpkin, we cycled through the middle of the Island, back to the yellow pumpkin, and lay on a nearby beach. After some reading about the rest of the cities we plan to visit in Japan, we bought a coffee, and cycled back to Little Plum.
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Travel in Trainers 