This is a wonderful day exploring the art on Teshima, one of three islands creating a contemporary art experience set amidst the rice fields and mountains on the island and merging with the rural setting in the surrounding Seto Inland Sea. We will ferry from Uno Port to Teshima and travel hire (electric assisted)bicycles and cycle around to visit the Teshima Art Museum and other art project installations in the town.
TBC
meet for ferry transit to Island
**please note I would be happy to greet you at your preferred location e.g. hotel or station but this will affect the necessary meeting time.
Arrive and hire electric cycle(s) to begin our art exploration adventure!
We start with the main attraction on Teshima is the Teshima Art Museum, one of the most intriguing contemporary artworks in Japan. Standing amongst terraced rice fields, the simple concrete structure may not appear much from the outside but in fact but this is entirely deceptive and as much a part of what some feel is a transformative experience; once inside and experience the breadth of the interior and indescribable stillness and quiet and stimulates its visitors encourages and a rare moment of peaceful contemplation.
This is one of two very experiential works by Christian Boltanski that we will visit
We cycle up Mt. Danyama to arrive in a small wood populated with countless installed wind chimes, tinkling in the breeze. On strips of transparent material hanging from each bell are the names of loved ones written by past visitors. The sound of the wind chimes summons up the mystery of the soul, paying homage to the memory of those individuals, expressing both the vitality and transience of human life.
Repurposed abandoned sewing needle factory active for around a quarter century, the artist's vision - the resonance of the relationship between the hull form boats used for sea bream net-fishing, but was never employed for this purpose, and the abandoned factory evokes the era when they were made and inhabited and the places and people associated with them,
at one of the venues on the island as discussed and agreed on
a transformation of an aging house located in the Leura District. The property and its various artworks have been renovated so the exterior is covered in red-tinted glass, distorting the viewer’s experience of the outside. It features-a stone garden with a pond, and a cylindrical tower installed so that the art spaces seem to expand symbolically to cover the entire site, VISION> a philosophical zone that simultaneously calls to mind thoughts of both life and death.
The concept behind the work was "To make a 'library', in a faraway place, where you could hear the heartbeats of people from all over the world."; Les Archives du Coeur is designed to immerse the viewer in a shared human experience.
Stop by at the Teshima Art Museum cafe for rest and refreshments and reflect on the day's experience.
conclude the tour of the island and return by ferry to Uno Port
I will be happy to escort you to your lodging or back to Okayama
TBC
The itinerary timing is dependent on the seasonal opening hours and also the guest's arrival time at the port, ideally taking 8:40 ferry from Uno Port to arrive at 9:20 at the port on Teshima and then head to Teshima Art Museum and then back to the port for lunch.
Following a tasty lunch at a local eaterie, we will take a leisurely look at the local art project installations in Karato and depending on time available a short distance away at Leura before taking the ferry back to Uno Port to rejoin your ship.
If desired, I am happy to customize the tour for you. Please inquire about a quote.
Due to the locations, we will be crisscrossing the island and visiting wonderful sites of varying kinds of experiences!
Guide Fee
The approximation of costs depends on the number of museums we visit. Museum entries all = ¥520 (except Teshima Art Museum ¥1540)
+ plus lunch and ferry
**Important
-–Teshima Art Museum requires advance booking and availability may be affected by that timing.
––I require reimbursement for my 2-hour transit from Hiroshima where I am based to and from the ferry port.
¥15000 in cash in JPY on the day - thank you for your understanding
The ferry charges ¥1030 each way and electric bicycles ¥1500 for the day.
Friday to Mondays Only **currently The Needle factory is only open on weekends.
You need to be of reasonable fitness. The cycles are electric assisted and we move at a comfortable pace.
Some venues have been affected by the pandemic and availability and hours can vary without warning. We will discuss and ascertain the best itinerary of venues.
***Teshima Museum closed days as follows:
Tuesdays (March 1 - November 30)
Tuesdays to Thursdays (December 1 - last day of February)
*Open on national holidays but closed the next day.
*Open on Tuesdays when Monday falls on a national holiday but closed on the next day.
***Once I send a requested tour offer I hold that date for 36 hours. Please note that I supply tours for several companies and I will close that date to enquiries via other providers for that period; if a booking is not made I reopen my availability. I am contractually obliged to accept bookings made for dates open on a provider site calendar; as such, I cannot guarantee availability until a booking is set. Thanks for your understanding.
Hugh e’ stato una guida molto preparata, efficiente e simpatica. Grazie ai suoi racconti e alle sue spiegazioni siamo riusciti a immergerci nella cultura, anche culinaria, della città. Lo consiglio!
grazie mille Marinella! È stato un grande piacere condividere la giornata con tutti voi.
Hugh provided a wonderful tour for our small group of 4. It was both very informative and a lot of fun. He is extremely knowledgeable about the locations we toured, providing great depth and insights into their details, history and significance. He was also able to answer all our other questions about Japan in general. He clearly has a deep love and understanding of all things Japanese. Thanks Hugh for a wonderful tour!
Thanks Rob!
Hugh was incredible! He is a Japanese soul with an Aussie accent. His deep love and respect for Japan was immediately evident and he generously shared his take on history, culture, and language on our day-long adventure. He was easy to contact by email pre-trip to work out some details and was on time at our hotel starting point. We spent a full day on foot, train, and ferry to significant locations in and around Hiroshima. We especially enjoyed our lunch stop for okonomiyaki (savory pancake) at a wonderful location we never would have found on our own. Our group of 3 finished the day 10 times smarter than when we started.
Hugh is very knowledgeable and flexible to tailor our tour day due to changing circumstances. For example, when the trains to Mijiima were not available because of heavy rains and mud slide risks, we started out in the reverse order and started with the atomic bomb dome and museum. When became clear that the trains would still be out for a few more hours. We took a cab, tram and two boats to get to and from Miyajima and had a great time. He is a wealth of knowledge for history buffs like myself. His fluency in Japanese was flawless and great to have as a guide.
Thanks Barry! It was a great pleasure sharing the day as your guide.