I'm Gen, an intern. In this second blog, I'd like to write about my recent trip to the Setouchi region and the Setouchi Triennale that I visited there. (In the previous post, I read Introducing China's new fashion wave and noteworthy young designer brands here.)


A few years ago, when I went to see Yayoi Kusama's exhibition at an art museum in Shanghai, I was captivated by a pumpkin piece based on the story "The Edge of the Universe." I later found out it was a "Pumpkin" from Naoshima. Since then, the Setouchi region has become a place I want to visit at least once in my life.


This fall, coinciding with the triennial Setouchi Triennale, I escaped the hustle and bustle of the city and visited the Seto Inland Sea.

Naoshima

After a one-hour ferry ride from Takamatsu, I arrived at the long-awaited Naoshima. Believe it or not, the ferry itself is a piece of art, with artworks on display on board.



The journey has only just begun. Even though I'm on the ferry, I feel as if I've become part of the ocean, enjoying the sea breeze and being swept up in the waves.


When we finally arrived at Miyanoura Port, the first thing that caught our eye was Yayoi Kusama's work, "Red Pumpkin." "I searched for the red light of the sun to the very edge of the universe, and it transformed into a red pumpkin in the sea of Naoshima," Yayoi Kusama herself is said to have said. If you enter the pumpkin, you can see the sky and sea through the polka dots. Perhaps the sky and sea of Naoshima seen from space might look something like this.


About a five-minute walk from there is Sou Fujimoto's Naoshima Pavilion. The work, intended to be a pavilion that anyone can casually drop into, resembles a floating diamond on Naoshima's coast.


Then, we took a bus to Honmura. The bus was decorated with an illustration of "Red Pumpkin," making it part of the art.


What's more, even the roadside traffic cones have been decorated with Yayoi Kusama's polka dots.


When viewed from the distant sea, Naoshima Port Terminal looks like bubbles floating on the shore. In fact, it is both a bicycle parking lot and a waiting area. I wonder how it would feel to wait for family members you haven't seen in a long time in such a dreamlike waiting area.
 

I've always wondered why this Naoshima pumpkin is called the "pumpkin at the end of the universe." What on earth is at the end of it? I think the answer might be the sea and the sky. That's because the sea and the sky have no end. This pumpkin is at the end of the road, with the borderless ocean behind it, so it really does seem like it's at the end of the world.


There are also many artworks scattered around near the Pumpkin.


In fact, the place that struck me the most on Naoshima was the Chichu Art Museum.


The entrance to the museum is long and dark, but there is light at the end. What will happen at the other end of this seemingly otherworldly portal? What kind of artwork will I encounter?


The first thing I entered was a labyrinth-like building created by Tadao Ando. It was a space that seemed not to exist in this world, and when I looked up, even the sky seemed to have a border.

The most impressive of all was a work by James Turrell. Passing through a screen-like entrance, I found myself in a pure white room. No matter how far I walked, I couldn't see the end, and the nearby screen-like entrance seemed far away. It was as if I'd wandered into another world, time had stopped, and I began to ask myself, "Who am I? Where am I now?"

As I passed through the long, dark entrance again and walked through the garden, I saw the water lilies in the pond and wondered if the scenery and feelings I'd just seen really existed. Perhaps they were just a dream.

After a brief bus ride and a moment of daze at the Benesse House Museum, the sky darkened.


When I returned to Miyanoura Port, the sky was already pitch black. When I came face to face with the Naoshima Pavilion again, it shone like the stars in the night sky.



The "Red Pumpkin" was also lit up, and I began to feel a sense of awe, like a castle inhabited by a witch.

Teshima

After landing on Teshima, we first headed to the Teshima Art Museum.


The Teshima Art Museum, designed to resemble the moment a drop of water first hits the ground, is itself a work of art. Water gushes out from a small hole, flows freely on the wind, and tiny droplets gather to form puddles before being absorbed into the ground, almost like a living being. Feeling the breeze in the museum and observing the changes in the water droplets, you feel as if you are a part of nature.


Next to the Teshima Art Museum is a souvenir shop with a cafe attached. I had a coffee there to get myself in the mood and then headed to Christian Boltanski's Heartbeat Archive.


At the Heartbeat Archive, you can even record your own heartbeat. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd ever heard my own heartbeat so clearly. Looking out at the ocean, I was deeply moved to think that even when I grow old and am no longer with this world, the sound of my heart beating here at that moment will remain forever on this quiet little island as part of an artwork.

Shodoshima

Shodoshima, also known as Olive Island, is said to be the first place in Japan where olive trees were cultivated. Even the ferry from Takamatsu to Shodoshima is decorated with an illustration of olives!


I wonder what the people riding the same ferry and looking at the same ocean are thinking right now? What worries are they having?


It was my first time eating udon on a ferry. The sweetness was just right, and I was able to drink up the entire soup. Feeling the waves and gazing at the ocean, a happy morning starts with a bowl of udon.


I wonder if other passengers on the OLIVE LINE are filled with the same happiness I am right now? The autumn sea is gentle, as if it has the power to heal the world.


On Shodoshima, there is a place called the Yokai Art Museum, which exhibits yokai from ancient times to the present. Do you believe that real yokai exist in the world? I do. But they are only visible to those who can see them.

Of all the creatures, the one I liked the most was the "Cream Soda Yokai." Maybe I was a "Cream Soda Yokai" in my past life too (otherwise, why am I so obsessed with cream soda? lol).


For lunch, I had omelet rice from "Hiyoko Shokudo." Everything on the menu is homemade by local grandparents. It was so nostalgic that it reminded me of the food I'd had at home. This shop, which is quite popular among locals, is apparently a 50-year-old establishment.



We took a bus to Olive Park. This place, famous as the filming location for the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service," feels like we're in Europe.


At Olive Park, I tried olive-flavored ice cream for the first time. I had always wondered what olives tasted like, but it was this slightly bitter-sweet flavor.


I took a boat from the small port next to Olive Park to the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village. The most impressive thing there was the classroom with a view of the ocean. If I could study in a classroom like that, I'd want to go to school even more. Just sitting back and gazing at the ocean all day is enough to make you happy.



Finally, I'd like to recommend a cafe called "NORTHSHORE" at Takamatsu Port. Perfect for a morning brunch or a relaxing break at the end of your trip, this is the place to be. Enjoy pancakes topped with plenty of fruit while gazing at the ocean. As the blue ocean slowly fades into the night sky, eventually turning pitch black, your wayward spirit begins to calm down.



The Seto Inland Sea is the only sea I've ever seen that has really moved me. Perhaps it's because I've lived in a city for so long, where speed is always a necessity. For the first time in a while, I visited a place where I didn't have to do anything and could just daydream, and I was able to have a new conversation with myself and discover a new side of myself.


The Seto Inland Sea is a place I still want to visit in my life. Next time, instead of during the art festival, I'd like to go when there are fewer people around, and waste time in the seat closest to the sea in the classroom at the film village, watching the sunrise, sunset, and the tides.


I feel a little sad that my internship is coming to an end, but just as I am recording my own heartbeat in the "Heartbeat Archive," I am very happy to think that even after my internship is over, the words I have written will remain on the internet forever.

When I visit the "Heartbeat Archive" again someday, I am sure that what I am hearing there is the rhythm of my heart, which flows only at this very moment.