jAPAN’S ART ISLANDS & TOKYO

OVERVIEW

The revitalisation of the Seto Inland Sea is a dramatic Japanese success story. A series of islands in a picturesque landscape, almost abandoned in the later twentieth century due to industrial degradation, has been progressively restored thanks to a dynamic philanthropic vision. Starting from a base on Naoshima but spreading its influence to nearby islands such as Teshima, the Benesse Art Foundation has commissioned extraordinary architects and artists – from Tadao Ando to Hiroshi Sugimoto, Yayoi Kusama, Ryue Nishizawa and Lee Ufan – to showcase extraordinary buildings and artworks in dialogue with the region’s natural beauty.

This 10-day tour explores the so-called ‘art islands’ from a comfortable base in Takamatsu on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four major islands. Visits to Ritsurin Garden and the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, both unique in their embodiment of the Japanese aesthetic, are included, along with three days of island hopping in the Seto Inland Sea to experience a wide variety of artworks and installations.

We then travel to Tokyo, for a survey of Tokyo’s contemporary art galleries. These include established sites such as the Mori Art Museum, as well as up-and-coming galleries that the average visitor to Tokyo does not experience. A day trip to Enoura Observatory rounds out the experience with an immersion in the vision of Hiroshi Sugimoto, one of Japan’s most senior contemporary artists.

The experience is rounded out by the expertise of tour leader Emily Wakeling, a curator at the Art Gallery of Ballarat with an expertise in contemporary Japanese art.