November 27, 2025 Okayama, a visit to the Art Island, Nashima, Lunch at New Contemporary Art Museum on Naoshima

November 27, 2025  Okayama, a visit to the Art Island, Nashima, Lunch at New Contemporary Art Museum on Naoshima

We woke up at 6:45 and ordered a taxi for 7:30 to take us to the Uno Ferry to Naoshima. We shared the tiramisu from last night’s meal with hot latte’s and met our guide at 9:12 and  embarked at 9:22.

When we arrive he drove us in his car to the area of five houses renovated into exhibitions by artists. The first one we went to was by James Turrell. I did not get it, but think it was a scrim on one side of a house with a view of the woods outside.

I then waited at a coffee bar across the street and sipped a chai for an hour while Suzette and the guide walked to three other Art houses.

When they returned the guide drove us to the Naoshima new museum of art. When we arrived we walked left to the cafe and ordered lunch. Suzette and I shared the roasted chicken platter with a small vial of broth, a pile of rice, some roasted chicken, some salad, and a small pile of  chestnut pudding. Suzette ordered a slice of toast with pumpkin and toast with baby sardines and cheese for me. Our guide ordered two slices of bread with cheese and baby sardines. Suzette got a strange looking blue colored wheat beer and I ordered white wine.

Here is the view from the museum cafe where we ate. Both museums are designed by the famous Japanese architect, Tafeo Ando.

When we finished eating we visited the museum. If was currently featuring Asian artists with an installation of 57 rooms in different cities made from a stiffened mesh fabric in one gallery. In another gallery a mural of armies of newts and sculptures of various monsters depicting the political instability in much of Asia, and in the third large gallery, a pack of 99 wolves attempting to leap over an imaginary wall and falling and trying again continuously showing a continuous cycle, which the guide said was a historic cycle in China.

Then the guide drove us to the Chicu Art Museum and the guide was able to drive to avoid the 86 steps and park near the front and get a wheel chair for me so I would not need to walk. He mentioned Wim Winders’ movie “Perfect Day” with the same type of van like his.We visited all three floors. One one were three more James Turrells, a magnificent mural by Murikami replicating an ancient Japanese painted screen, but with the additional of several of his painted flower people. 

Then the piece de resistance was a gallery with five Monet water lily pond paintings of Giverny. One huge diptych and four smaller ones, one of which was incredible catching shimmering light on the pond.

Both museums were designed by a famous Japanese architect, Abdo

I was thankful for the assistance accommodation by the Chicu staff and our guide, who then drove us back to the ferry port, where we caught the 3:00 ferry Okayama.

When we arrived at the ferry port on the Okayama side, we were lucky to find a taxi in the parking that drove us back to our hotel in Okayama, a costly one hour taxi ride.

When we arrived in our hotel room Suzette collapsed for a few minutes and then went down to the drugstore on the street level where she bought zinc lozenges and a bag of five dehydrated egg drop soups.

We heated water and drank a mug of egg drop soup for dinner.

A rather weak food day, but an amazing art day.

Bon Appetit