What happens when you gather a group of artists on a remote island to spark each other’s creativity? On Naoshima, it means someone decides to create a giant pumpkin, paint it red with black polka dots, and set it right on the beach.
You get an architect who designed an underground museum that relies entirely on natural light to illuminate works by Claude Monet and other modern artists. (No photography allowed.) Inside, it feels like a labyrinth—passageways that lead nowhere and windows carved into unexpected, intriguing shapes. Very wild and confusing, but fun.
You get a hotel built on the belief that art has the power to heal, offering guests a place where they can truly coexist with both art and architecture.
The island is hard to get to, but truly magical.
The journey there involved the subway, the bullet train, and two local trains. But was totally worth it. The art is super fun, and I’m ready to escape the hordes of tourists in the major Japanese tourist destinations. Very few people speak English here—even in the restaurants and art galleries. It feels like an exotic secret place.
And, of course there were pastries. Even their pastries at the train station are incredible.
We had trouble with the menu at dinner. The young people next to us ordered a hot pot, but I wasn’t brave enough to do it. (And I don’t really want to do the cooking when I go out.)
With much sign language and phone translation we ended up with a safe dinner of chicken and noodles. Then to the grocery store for fruit and salad.
Marsh Travels 
Wow, I knew nothing about this island. What a trippy place to be. Good choice on the chicken and noodles. Again, you have shown me that pastries kinda look the same all over the world. I told Boni that you were in Japan moving from pastry shop to pastry shop wherever you go. Are you traveling alone or with a group? You don’t normally travel alone. ________________________________
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