How a polka-dot pumpkin sparked an art renaissance on Japanese islands
Image credit: Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin, 2022. Photo copyright Yayoi Kusama. Photo: Tadasu Yamamoto
The wind’s whipping up a frenzy on a crystal clear March morning when the rumours fly that visitors won’t be allowed onto Naoshima pier, made famous by Yayoi Kusama’s iconic yellow pumpkin. About two years ago, it was washed away by a storm and had to be replaced by the artist, who is now 96.
Luckily, the weather improves as we catch sight of the pumpkin, a colourful ball of fun perched on the edge of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. A woman in a brilliant yellow dress, perfectly matching the artwork, strides along the walkway with her partner weighed down with photographic equipment – taking a photo with the pumpkin has become an Instagram favourite.
Three decades ago, Kusama’s pumpkin started an art revolution on Naoshima Island, which has since spread around the Setouchi islands. Naoshima is filled with fascinating museums and artworks that we explore on our Walk Japan Art Islands tour. Nearby Teshima Island also boasts some amazing attractions, while little Momoshima Island impresses with its Art Base. 2025 is the perfect time to visit as the Setouchi Triennial, an arts event held every three years, runs from April to November.
While Kusama’s pumpkins and her "Narcissus Garden" of jingling reflective balls are fun, there’s so much more to discover on the island. As we drive, we spot the latest addition: the Naoshima New Museum of Art, designed by renowned architect Tadao Ando, which focuses on Asian art and opens on May 31.
Chichu Art Museum, another Ando masterpiece carved into a hillside, offers a sublime experience. Entrepreneur Soichiro Fukutake (the man who founded the Benesse Art Site Naoshima) spent 20 years collecting five Monet paintings to display in a specially designed gallery.
James Turrell’s work, which frames the ever-changing sky, keeps me spellbound, while Walter de Maria’s Time/Timeless/No Time granite sphere feels like a contemporary shrine.
Interestingly, many museums don’t allow photographs. Initially, I find this frustrating, but after a while, I realise that by putting away my phone, I pay more attention to the here and now.
The Benesse House Museum (which includes a hotel) has works by the likes of Hiroshi Sugimoto, David Hockney and Jean-Michel Basquiat. I’m envious of the hotel guests who enjoy after-hours access. It’s worth taking a break in the museum café, which has a sparkling view of the Setouchi Sea, perfectly framed by the museum wings.
The dwindling population of the islands is a problem. Reclaiming some of the abandoned buildings (called akiya), the House Project in Honmura village comprises five small homes, along with a temple and shrine reinvented by artists. Later, in Miyanoura village, we meet the couple who owns the modest Yuunagi fish restaurant over lunch. Owner Kenji, who was born on the island, hopes that tourism will create employment opportunities for young people like his son.
The smaller Teshima Island also comes under the Benesse umbrella. The first beach artwork I encounter features some familiar names, as the bench is an Australian collaboration between Heather B. Swann and Nonda Katsalidis – "Place for sea dreamers" – which turns out to be the perfect spot for our group photo. Spending time at the water-droplet-shaped Teshima Art Museum, a stunning meditative work by artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA), is an uplifting experience. The concrete shell has two elliptical openings, and water springs continuously from the ground, running along unpredictable courses. Watching the water carve a pathway reminds me of the unpredictability of the natural world.
Crossing Teshima, I see that rice terraces are being cultivated, and after decades of people leaving, younger folk are starting to farm again. There’s a palpable feeling of hope at Forest des Murmures by Christian Boltanski. After a brisk walk halfway up Mount Danyama, I hear wind chimes tinkling before I see the glittering transparent material fluttering in the wind. Each piece contains the name of a loved one. Visitors can write down a name in a book, and it will be added in the future.
There are more signs of renewal at Teshima Coffee Roastery, part of Teshima Espoir Park, which opened in 2022. Locals operate a café, a minimalist design hotel, and an events space overlooking the sea.
While artist Yukinori Yanagi created cutting-edge artworks for the Seirensho Art Museum on Inujima Island, not many people visit Momoshima where he has his Art Base in a former high school. People can book into his spartan guest house, complete with various military-inspired artworks and outdoor bath. It’s fun to pop into a deserted cinema and pay 100 yen to watch Yanagi’s light show Hinomaru Illumination, a play on Japan’s flag. At Art Base, Yanagi’s Banzai Corner collection of action figures and his ant-farm panels are the standouts.
At the end of our five-day journey across the art islands, guide Mitzy Kono admits that this tour is closest to her heart. A native of nearby Hiroshima, Kono worries about the depopulation of the Setouchi islands and hopes young people will fall in love with the area and move there. “I like the idea of trying to give another life to the islands through the power of art,” she says.
The writer was a guest of Walk Japan, walkjapan.com. The Setouchi Triennial runs from: April 18-May 25; August 1-August 31; October 3-November 9, setouchi-artfest.jp/en/
