Naoshima, a remote island off the main Japanese island of Honshu, is an architectural paradise. The island is located a few hours south of Osaka on the Shinkansen high-speed train (plus a half hour ferry ride). Filled with some of the finest works of world-famous architects, Naoshima is Japan‘s architectural mecca.
You can only reach the island by ferry, arriving at the western coast at a terminal building designed by Pritzker Prize winning Japanese architectural firm SANAA.
True to SANAA’s typical minimalist style, the terminal is almost invisible with pencil-thin columns and a planar cantilevered roof. Freestanding, sometimes transparent pavilions beneath the roof canopy hold the indoor facilities, with open air areas for port traffic and waiting areas.
Visitors are also greeted at port area by one of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic pumpkin sculptures and a striking iceberg-like pavilion by famous architect Sou Fujimoto. The angular steel grid structure is faceted into the ground, forming an climbable interior. A scattering of interesting attractions like this make the island incredibly Instagrammable.
The southern portion of the island is filled with an almost unimaginable array of buildings by renowned architect Tadao Ando.
One of the highlights is the Benesse House Hotel, a sprawling complex of Tadao Ando designed concrete amazingness.
The rooms in the main hotel building have generous balconies with expansive views of the grounds, which are scattered with installation art.
One of my favourite moments is this recessed moss garden, which is visible through a slit window at the bottom of a floating concrete wall.
The pristine minimalism of the hotel corridors is a work of art in itself!
The premises are filled with art installations, including the island’s second Yayoi Kusama pumpkin sculpture.
Even the hotel kitchen is cast in concrete!
A short walk away from the main hotel is the Benesse House Museum, a beautiful contemporary art museum which is free to access for hotel visitors.
Indoor and outdoor gallery spaces are framed in Ando’s signature immaculately detailed concrete, with a circular central gallery that’s just stunning.
The Lee Ufan museum is yet another Ando masterpiece within the campus, accessed via a staircase down a hill along a planar concrete wall. The museum is comprised of a series of concrete walls and the spaces are fantastic although the art was unsubstantial.
One of the highlights is the Chichu Art Museum, a series of geometric gallery spaces set into a hilltop with underground circulation between. The art was fantastic (no photos allowed inside unfortunately) and features incredible works by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. Some of the geometric slices into the hillside are amazing courtyards with pebbles or greenery.
There are random Ando folies all around the island including this outdoor peninsular amphitheatre.
Across Naoshima are a series of ‘Art Houses’, cool small scale art installations scattered across the island. One of my favourites is the fantastic immersive artwork called ‘Minamidera’ by artist James Turrell (The charcoal black Minamidera building was also designed by Tadao Ando).
Another highlight is the Ando Museum which features an exhibit on Tadao Ando’s works.
The smaller ferry terminal on the eastern coast of the island was also designed by SANAA. The bubble-shaped structure has a fibreglass shell which contrasts with a timber internal structure. It’s super cute and simple yet impactful.
Images by Jonathan Choe
