Naoshima

Kumar left for the US this morning. While he was riding the shinkansen to the airport, I went to Naoshima with my friend Jules (this is our self-portrait on the beach).

Naoshima is a small island about 3 hours away from Hiroshima, in the Seto Inland Sea. Aside from a very charming little town packed with old traditional wooden houses, Naoshima has two museums (one of them within a resort-like complex) featuring modern art; stunning views and a taxi (yes, one taxi in the entire island, which Jules and I took).

We went there for just the day, but it felt like we had spent a week. The most impressive thing for us was the Chichu Art Museum, which - beyond the art pieces - is the most beautiful architectural creation I have ever seen. Build by Tadao Ando, it made me think of "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. Yes, that incredibly beautiful! The only disappointment was that photography was forbidden.

Although I can't show you the stunning museum, there's pictures of the rest of the island, including art spread on the grounds -- for example this pumpkin on a pier!


These are steps also designed by Tadao Ando


And this is the setting


For more pictures see the "Naoshima" link on the right.