Teshima Art Museum

August 5, 2015

So last night I had booked us a room at a guest house in Okayama so that we would be relatively close commuting to Teshima Island this morning. I had no idea that the guest house wouldn't have AC! It was a bother not being able to sleep and feel clean or free of sweat, but I guess it gave us a different experience. For certain, any other bookings during the summer will have to have AC!

This morning, after getting ourselves together, we all headed back to the train to go back to the ferry port to head to Teshima. Teshima is a neighboring island to Naoshima but was a bit further. So we were on the ferry for a bit longer but after the fancy stuff on Naoshima I wondered in Teshima would be as neat. For Teshima, Jack had only one place really in mind to see. With none of us wanting to venture the island past that one spot, we figured we just hit that up and make our way back to Osaka after. To tell you the truth, going to see this one spot on Teshima was rather pricey with everything taken into consideration.

Once the ferry landed, a funny man had pointed us in the right direction to see the museum. Once we arrived there, it seemed pretty naked around the building. The place was very green and filled with staggered rice fields which reminded me of Bali. In my mind, when a place is called a museum, it usually has more than one thing to see. Teshima Art Museum was not like museums I was use to. It was more of an art installation. It would be hard to describe what it was like, but if I tried I would say it's like being in a hallow, lopsided egg with two great holes in it and splashes of water inside. The installation is made completely of stone and has no beams inside to hold its shape. I read that the architecture is special as well as the said art inside. The art inside may look like regular spots of water to most people, but after reading and studying the water carefully, I saw that the puddles of water were actually intentional. The water some how poured slowly from the floor and pooled into random spots. The way it rolled across the floor was mesmerizing. The six of us sat individually all around the structure, silently meditating and taking in the thing we were in. I think also because we paid so much to even get there, we were really taking our time with it.

After we felt done with the museum, we headed back to the ferry to make the lengthy journey back to Osaka. I really did enjoy these two islands and do hope to come back in a different season. I feel that in the Fall or even beginning of winter, these places would be more enjoyable and even have a different feel.

Tomorrow would be our flight to Okinawa!! I've been wanting to go to a nice beach since last summer so this should be good! Let's hope the weather is nice too!


xx
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