Japan day 8
Checked out, walked across the island and found a proper bike rental place that kept my luggage as well. Yay for a bike with gears! After crossing the island yet again I got to Minamidera, a minimalistic black wooden building. Getting a timed ticket for half an hour later I was admitted along with a group of other visitors into complete darkness and were seated. Then nothing continued to appear. Ever so slowly, and quite some time later, it all started to make sense. I will unfortunately leave it at that to not spoil the experience. It was a work by Turell, who is reminiscent of Olafur Eliasons more colorful works, who is probably better known in Denmark.
Next, I crossed through the island interior and went by a four meter or so oversized trashcan ironically positioned in the nature in the middle of nowhere.
Next it was the subterranean Chichu museum. The building itself was an experience to be had with brutal concrete walls and steel. One of the centerpieces was a collection was five large paintings by Monet. To get into the room where they featured you had to wait in line and take off your shoes and walk into the all white antecedent room which finally revealed the equally white main room with a huge painting at the end and four additional Monets at the other walls. Previously my relationship with Monet has been a bit “meh”, but here, with an almost apotheosizing treatment it made a whole lot of sense. That experience alone made the trip to Naoshima worthwhile.
The Chichu museum additionally had works by Turell and and someone called Walter de Maria. After visiting them I then started making my way to Kyoto, where I went to bed shortly after getting there.
