Islands of Art

Just 90 minutes from Okayama (well, more like 120–150 if you’re bad at transit connections like I was) lies the island of Naoshima. This land of just 3,000 inhabitants saw very few tourists until the Benesse Corporation had the brilliant idea of turning it — and nearby islands Teshima and Inujima — into a modern art paradise. Now the three islands are crawling with tourists lining up to enter famous museums and snap photos with outdoor art installations.

The islands’ popularity does mean you need to plan ahead. The Chichu Art Museum — my favorite of the ones I visited — sells timed tickets in advance, and often cannot accommodate last-minute visitors. It also means they’re expensive. Expect to pay $10–20 for admission to each museum, and don’t even think about the souvenirs in the gift shops.

If you’re traveling for the ‘gram, this is a good place way to go. While the museums don’t allow photos, the outdoor art is perfect for wannabe-influencers looking for somewhere iconic to strike a pose. The pumpkin sculptures, in particular, draw large crowds of snap-happy visitors.

If you’re visiting for the art itself… well, I don’t actually know enough about modern art to set myself up as critic. I enjoyed the site-specific installations at Chichu, particularly the display of huge Monet water lily canvases in an all-white tiled-floor room reminiscent of a luxurious bath. James Turrell’s “Open Field” was a cool feet-on experience: what seemed at first like a light painting turned out to be a space I could enter and wander around in.

I had originally planned to visit Inujima this weekend as well, but a day in Naoshima left me both over-arted and over-sunned. Which probably just shows my low tolerance for visual art. I’m sorry.