How one man’s vision transformed three Japanese islands from dystopian dumpsites into world-revered art destinations
From a post-industrial wasteland to an art-filled utopia, the story of Japan’s art islands in the Seto Inland Sea is one of redemption.
There are three islands to be exact: Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima, all of which were on the brink of being damaged beyond repair. Naoshima and Inujima were left barren from a booming but destructive copper smelting industry, while Teshima was buried under nearly a million tonnes of illegally dumped toxic waste.
That is until Japanese billionaire Soichiro Fukutake stepped in. Horrified by the destruction— namely the reckless environmental damage caused by corporations—to the formerly pristine islands, Fukutake took it upon himself to give them a new lease on life, saying in a statement that he “decided to use art to fight against what society had done”, while restoring the Shinto values of honouring and finding harmony with nature.
Today, three decades and about US$250 million later, the trio are teeming with art and flora set against picturesque coastlines, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors per year who come to enjoy the works of Claude Monet, Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama and David Hockney, to name but a few.
It all began in 1988 when Fukutake, who at that time was the president and representative director of Fukutake Publishing (now Benesse Corporation), approached renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando to help him realise his vision of transforming the neglected and economically stifled islands into a paradise where visitors could come and admire works by some of the world’s greatest artists.
A sceptical Ando initially turned down the offer but was eventually convinced, and the Pritzker Prize-winning architect went on to design dozens of buildings across Naoshima, the most popular of the three islands.
Ando is known for his minimalist concrete buildings that follow the natural forms of their surrounding landscape, like the Chichu Museum on Naoshima, which was built mostly underground to coexist with the natural scenery, rather than commandeer it. A work of art in itself, Chichu Museum houses striking exhibitions that encourage guests to stop, marvel and immerse themselves completely, such as Walter de Maria’s Time/Timeless/No Time, a 2.2 metre granite sphere set beneath soaring ceilings and amplified by gentle sunrays peering through strategically placed skylights.
Famously not a fan of “white cube galleries”, where art is displayed in an otherwise empty gallery or museum, Fukutake’s vision was to create meaningful interactions between art, nature and architecture. “That combination is what makes Naoshima Art Island so unique,” says Yumi Wakiyama, founder of Tokyo-based luxury travel concierge, Sentio, which specialises in curating unique art experiences for travellers visiting Japan. “Most of the art is very site-specific; a lot of the artworks and architecture is made for the island by artists from all over the world, as well as Japanese artists.”
Visitor numbers surge during the Setouchi Triennale, an international contemporary arts festival held every three years, with close to 1.2 million attending the event in 2019. Statistics found that most overseas visitors came from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. The 2022 edition, which took place in April last year, was more lightly attended given Japan’s travel restrictions were still in place. But with art-centric travel being one of the biggest travel trends for 2023 and beyond, tour operators like Wakiyama have full faith that the islands can look forward to some of their busiest seasons yet.
Tatler Tip: Hopping between the islands is typically done by ferry, but that leaves you at the mercy of the rather sparse public ferry schedules. Having to rush through some of the world’s most spectacular art installations can be a bit of a buzzkill, so we recommend looking to tour operators like Sentio, which offer private speedboat services so you can move through the islands at your own pace, on your own schedule.