Slow Travel Island-Hopping in Japan: Setouchi Art Triennale

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network Editorial Department
 

Since 2010, the "Setouchi Triennale," a triennial large-scale art exhibition held on islands—first organized by local governments in the Seto Inland Sea such as Kagawa Prefecture, Takamatsu City, and Tosashimizu Town, as well as private organizations like the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation and the Fukutake Foundation for Education and Culture—has been the world’s first major art festival set on islands. Starting March 20, 2016, the Setouchi Triennale returned with exhibitions divided into spring, summer, and autumn seasons, centered around the theme “Restoration of the Sea,” and ran for a total of 108 days.

The art festival takes place across seven islands in the Seto Inland Sea—Naoshima, Teshima, Megijima, Ogijima, Shodoshima, Oshima, and Inujima—located between Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan, with Takamatsu Port in northeastern Shikoku’s Kagawa Prefecture as the main hub. Additional limited-time event locations during specific seasons include Shamijima (spring), Honjima (autumn), Takamishima (autumn), Awashima (autumn), and Ibukijima (autumn).