Inland Sea Island Hopping

Ahead of a Women’s Group tour to Naoshima this month, iNTOUCH explores the attractions of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.

The Seto Inland Sea, the body of water that separates Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, conjures up a variety of images. For some, the Seto Naikai means sleepy island living in places like Shodoshima and many of the 3,000 other islands that dot the 450 kilometer-wide stretch of ocean. For others, it means the outdoor art installations of islands like Naoshima or the iconic Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima, near Hiroshima. Whichever way you look at it, the Inland Sea has plenty to explore.

NAOSHIMA
Since its rise from tranquil, yet crumbling fishing island to contemporary art hub in the 1990s, Naoshima has become arguably the most well known of the Inland Sea’s islands. Often referred to as “Art Island,” Naoshima was selected by the publishing company Benesse as the site for an innovative art project called Benesse Art Site Naoshima. This has since expanded to several other small islets nearby.

That project began in earnest when Benesse commissioned acclaimed architect Tadao Ando to design the sleek Benesse House beachfront hotel and gallery, which today combines luxury accommodation with indoor galleries that house works by such art world heavyweights as Andy Warhol and David Hockney. A collection of outdoor installations by world-renowned artists like Walter de Maria and Kusama Yayoi also dot the picturesque beaches and cliff tops. But the island’s renaissance didn’t end there.

Benesse is also behind the Art House Project in the village of Honmura, where several of the old wood buildings have been transformed into art installations. On top of that, the island is home to a gallery that highlights the work of Lee Ufan and another Ando-designed gallery in the shape of the Chichu Art Museum, which is striking not just for the pieces by Claude Monet, but also for the cavernous structure that Ando had built into a hillside. You can even bathe with art at Naoshima Bath “I Love Yu,” a public bathhouse that is adorned with pop art and erotica.

Naoshima
www.benesse-artsite.jp

SHODOSHIMA
Located to the east of Takamatsu, not far from Naoshima, Shodoshima couldn’t be more different from “Art Island,” even though it does share an almost Mediterranean climate and its far longer coastline (126 kilometers) is also made up of rugged rock formations and the occasional picturesque beach.

Known as the place in Japan where olives were first cultivated (in 1908), one of the main attractions on the island is the Mediterranean-themed Olive Park, which combines sloping olive groves with herb fields and tourist-geared facilities that include herb-infused spa baths. Shodoshima is also known for soy sauce production and has several various sized soy factories that offer tours.
More alluring than that, however, is the nature. From the 817-meter Mount Hoshigajo and neighboring Utsukushi no Hara plateau, visitors can enjoy views that stretch across wooded mountain terrain toward civilization and the sea. At the Kankakei Gorge (ranked in decidedly Japanese fashion as one of the three most beautiful valleys in Japan), the views from the ropeway that runs between steep cliffs are just as impressive.

For fans of Japanese cinema, there’s a final attraction. Shodoshima was the location for the classic 1954 weepy flick Nijushi no Hitomi (Twenty-Four Eyes), the screen version of a Sakae Tsuboi novel that tells the story of a teacher and her pupils on the island during the rise and fall of Japanese ultranationalism. At the movie’s theme park, you can walk around the original set and enjoy the beachfront setting.

Shodoshima
www.my-kagawa.jp

MIYAJIMA
On the opposite end of the Inland Sea to Shodoshima and Naoshima, Miyajima’s almost 17-meter-high “floating” torii gateway at Itsukushima Shrine has found its way onto many postcards and guidebook covers over the years.

Dubbed “the island where gods and people live together,” it’s no surprise that many of Miyajima’s main sights are, like Itsukushima, spiritual. Beyond the shrine and its torii, which now dates to 1875, but was first constructed in 1168, the island is home to the 12th-century Daishoin, an important Shingon temple that had close ties to the imperial family up until the Meiji Restoration. The island has other historical attractions in the form of areas like Machiya Dori, a road lined with old, wooden machiya houses, some of which are now swanky ryokan inns or art galleries.

As with other islands in the Inland Sea, Miyajima is known for its natural beauty and boasts odd rock formations and hiking trails through the virgin forest of Mount Misen that culminate with panoramic views across the island toward Hiroshima Bay and over the Inland Sea. As an addition to a trip to Hiroshima, adding a day on Miyajima is a no-brainer. Just check the tide times to make sure the torii will look like it’s floating because it’s nowhere near as impressive when you see it poking out of the mud.

Miyajima
www.miyajima.or.jp

OTHER ISLES OF INTEREST
With some 3,000 islands from which to choose, there are plenty of options for trips. For more art, hop on a ferry to Inujima or Teshima near Nasohima, as both these islands now fall under the Benesse Art Site umbrella. Awajishima, the largest island in the Inland Sea, is another alternative. It’s connected to the world’s longest suspension bridge (if engineering is your thing) but also has castle ruins, some scenic spots and whirlpools to check out. o

Goss is a Tokyo-based freelance writer.

Naoshima Art Island Tour
April 13–15
Members: ¥95,000
(non-Members: ¥104,000)
Adults only
Sign up online or at Member Services
Prices are based on twin occupancy for two nights, bullet train transportation, two breakfasts and two dinners and exclude 8 percent consumption tax.