naoshima

If you ask a visitor about Naoshima they'll possibly know of it. If you ask a Japanese the chances are much more slim. It's one of the hundreds of islands between shikoku and honshu and, perhaps typically, is part industrial (recycling centre) and part unspoilt. We were staying at the swanky Bennesse house hotel on the south coast which was just beside the two art galleries also designed by Ando (a treat from my folks). The coast and nearby village has a scattering of installations and sculpture which make the place a wee bit like the set of the prisoner.

The place was very western (I felt like I was abroad); the rooms with beds and shoes; the restaurant with cutlery and waiters in suits. It was very comfortable although the building had that clinical, monastic feel that as even my dad agreed, felt a little precious. The concrete that Ando is famous for using did contrast nicely with the green around it though, and some of the use of natural light inside was very good indeed.

I imagine the coastline was like that of Miyage - the area in north honshu that I've always wanted to go to - that has those crumbling sandstone walls and lush greenery jutting out the top - very much an exotic asian look that has long gone from most of Kansai. We all roamed around, had a nap and then dinner. Incredibly, the weather was so warm that Fred and I went for a swim. Halloween is not usually swimming weather in Japan but it goes to show how the unseasonal it was - the sun having warmed the water all day. passers-by looked at us in disbelief but it was genuinely lovely.