Outdoor Art on Naoshima

Sculptures, stone and colorful pumpkins

Peter Sidell Jan 05, 2013 - 1 min read

<p>Waiting for the souvenir shop to open</p>

<p>Facing the sea at 'Cultural Melting Bath'</p>

<p>At the island's main ferry port at Miyanoura</p>

<p>This is called 'Cultural Melting Bath: Project for Naoshima'</p>

<p>A big colorful thing in the art park near the Benesse House Museum</p>

<p>This one's called 'Three Squares Vertical Diagonal' - watch closely on a breezy day</p>

<p>Bring your opera-glasses: I couldn't get close enough to see what was on this screen mounted in the rock by the sea</p>

Naoshima in the Inland Sea is known as 'Benesse Art Island', and attracts a lot of visitors to its high-end museums. However, at a number of sites across the island there's a diverse range of art which can be enjoyed in the open air. At the seashore on opposite sides of the island there are a couple of Yayoi Kusama's large, colorful pumpkins, while in other places there are a variety of sculptures, and a Chinese-style rock garden.

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Find out more about Benesse Art Site Naoshima.

Things to Do in Kagawa
Yayoi Kusama

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.