Teshima island

To go to Teshima you’ll have to take a boat from Naoshima. It takes about 20 min to reach the destination. It’s a good day trip to do. Especially on Monday because almost everything is cloosed in Naoshima but not in Teshima.

Boat ride to the neighbor island , Teshima.

The weather wasn’t great today but good enought. Say hello to Teshima.

Teshima is about twice as big as Naoshima but only has one third of his population. It’s a dense island surrounded by nature. It’s also has  more hills but this was not an issue because I have found a secret weapon for that…

The electrical bicyle !

On the way to the Teshima Art Museum with my electrical bicyle.
Theses bicyles will cost you a bit more but this is a must in Teshima. There is actually many small Art House Project spreaded around the island. The bicyle will allow you the freedom to explore and also take a breath of fresh air. Be careful thought there is different company. One in particular was almost twice the price ! So take a quick look before renting.

Teshima feels so peaceful. The nature is beautiful and there is almost nobody. It’s a great day trip to be just by yourself. Also there is so much Art museum to discover.

Reaching the entrance of the famous Teshima Art Museum. I’m excited because many people reccomanded me that place. I had no expectations at that point.

Once you have your ticket there is a small path to take before reaching the entrance of the “museum”.

Beautiful nature along the coast.
Expect to queue a little bit before going inside. I had to wait 30-40min but this was not an issue. This felt like a transition point. You could hear all the sounds of nature around.

Picture were not allowed inside but I will show you one from the website.

The Teshima Art Museum from inside (not my picture).

The structure was breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it before. It was designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa. . It is a low concrete-shell structure without pillars or columns to support it. You’ll find two large circular opening on the ceiling which creates a strong connection with the outside nature. The artist of that artwork is named Rei Naito.

I wasn’t expecting to see that at all. When you think of museum you think of something with many codes but this has no codes. This artwork was unique. In “Matrix” at Teshima Art Museum, water trickles out from the ground, here and there, throughout the day. You can see drops of water moving by themselves. This creates shapes and patterns. The water is flowing slowly toward different drops to then become bigger drops. Eventually the drops of water all go toward the same place. You become spectator of a subtil but powerful show. Water means a lot for human beings. Consciously or unconsciouly. If you think of it our planet is made mostly of water , so is are body.

It’s hard to explain this work but this was more like a meditation space with the elements. Earth , wind and water , all together in that unique oval structure. At some point it rained a bit. This affected the artwork. You could see an infinity of expressions being revealed as time passes. Also the accoustisc was very particular. You can imagine that if you look at the shape of the structure. Sometime you could hear sounds coming from behind you.

I have easily spend 40 min inside. Many people were sitted to enjoy that space. This is an experience were you need to stop to fully enjoy it. This Museum is not easy to access so everyone was taking his time to enjoy this very particular space.

Once you leave the main structure you’ll find a Café / shop. Designed by the same architect. I wasn’t interested by the shop part but the café part , yes of course ! I really love café places. To me they are like little temples or churches where you can reconnect with yourself. When you move a lot it’s also important to stop a lot. Its a also a great community space where you can meet interesting people (and interesting cakes..).

I had a roasted green tea (Hojicha) and a Pumpkin gelato. This was very good. The pumpkin is a seasonal ingredient in autumn. Therefore you’ll see it in many dishes , especially in sweets.

Break time where I met a french architect. She was spending 6 month in Kyoto for her studies. That’s a cool place for studying.

Back on the bicyle now. You’ll come across many local food along certain roads.

Mandarine stall in Teshima. They are so good ! In Teshima there is 4 main type of food that grows. Strawberries , mandarines , lemons , rice and olives. I was supprised to see olive trees in Japan. The climate is a bit mediterranean so actually that would make sense to find theses food.

Time to get some lunch now. I heard about a place that was good and vege friendly. It’s next to the popular “Shima Kitchen” where most tourist tend to go. The places i’m going is called “Shokudo 101”.

Inside it looked like a traditional Japanese house renovated into a restaurant. There were a sweet view of a Japanese garden. I loved the vibe of that place. In the background some Lo-Fi beats were playing. It was not crowded either.

Cosy space perfect for a break.

Veggie set meal. Rice , veggies , mashed pumpkin , fried tofu , salad and miso soup. This was one of the most tasty veggie meal I had in Japan. For drink I tried something new  , black bean tea. It may doesnt sound appealing at first but it tasted good and apparently it’s super heathy.

I had a few more hours to explore Teshima before the return boat. There is a few Art house projects to discover.

“Lemon hotel”

Now heading to the more far away art space. It’s located just by the beach in a cool setting.

This one had a cool concept. In “Les archives du coeur” you could record your own heartbeat. Actually 65000 people from all over the world have done that. You can access a special room completely in the dark. In that room you’ll hear some random recorded heart beat playing. The light in the middle will shine at each beat. Almost like a stroboscope in a nightclub. You could find big speakers in one end of the room. The room was long which amplified the bass sound.

This was pretty crazy but amazing at the same time. There is something very organic when you listen to those heart beats. Somehow it’s the sound that connect all of us to life. In another room you could see which recorded heartbeat was playing (country , name).

It was already time to go back to the port. On the way many sceneries unfolded. Teshima is such a quiet island. It feels great to be here.

A local store. There is always a vending machine somewhere. It’s always fun to notice the contrast between the old and the modern.

Many cats in Teshima.

These 3 days I had in Naoshima and Teshima were fantastic. I’m glad I went to these places. The relaxed island atmosphere combine with the artistic energy create something really unique. Naoshima is a sensorial experience. A place where you can relax and at the same time get inspired. I loved this place. I loved the people I met. I still have one more morning to enjoy some museums before heading to my next destination.

See you for the last episode in Naoshima 🙂