The best time and guide to participate in the 2019 Seto Inland Sea Art Festival

The 2019 Seto Inland Sea Art Festival has officially kicked off. Many friends are very much looking forward to visiting it. After all, the annual event has attracted everyone’s attention and eyeballs. Let me share with you the detailed information below. Activity content and strategy guide.

The Setouchi International Art Festival is a triennial art exhibition, divided into three seasons: spring, summer and autumn. It spans almost a year and unfolds various art exhibitions on a small island located in the Setouchi Sea of ??Japan. an artistic activity. Starting from April 26, 2019, the 2019 Japan Setouchi International Art Festival officially kicked off.

After the Spring Exhibition started, Japan’s “Golden Week” immediately ushered in. Due to the change of era, Japan’s consecutive holidays were extra long this time; at the same time, there were also many international tourists, many of whom For Chinese tourists traveling during the Labor Day holiday, Spring Airlines launched direct flights from Shanghai to Takamatsu, Shikoku as early as 2011, making travel convenient.

On May 1, 2019, the boats from Takamatsu and Setouchi Islands were as crowded as the subway during the morning rush hour. The originally leisurely "island tour" has turned into a queuing party with queuing up to visit, queuing up to take photos, queuing up to eat, and queuing up to take a boat.

The Seto Inland Sea is surrounded by the three major islands of Japan: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Together with the coastal areas, it is called "Setouchi". Although it is the sea, there is no wind or waves, and small islands are scattered in it like pearls on a mirror.

The Setouchi International Art Festival started in 2010 and has been held every three years since then. Tadao Ando, ??Yayoi Kusama, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Kazuyo Sejima, Nishi and others have gathered in different places on the island. Sawa Ryue, Fujirei, and new artists are constantly being invited to create in residence.

Now, the exhibits are spread across 12 islands. Visitors need to spend a specific amount of time and displacement to see those works of art. This is a very special visiting experience. Traveling between ferry ports, people Have the opportunity to experience this unique Setouchi-style slow life. When is the best time to go

The Art Festival runs throughout the year and is divided into summer and autumn. Different seasons have different special activities and limited exhibits. But what many people don’t know is that although the Seto Inland Sea Art Festival is a triennial exhibition that only occurs every three years, the most important exhibits and pavilions are open year-round.

One of the characteristics of the Seto Inland Sea is that it is slow. There are only slow ferries from island to island, and they are not easy to come and go. If your schedule is very full and you are "hurrying", it is actually contrary to the temperament of the Seto Inland Sea.

And unless you have great determination and a relatively long travel time, it will be difficult for you to see all the exhibits in a few days (the average travel plan is only two or three days).

Those who come here for the first time can only focus on seeing the most important exhibits, which are open all year round. In addition to the previously mentioned Yayoi Kusama pumpkins, there are also these.

For example, Teshima Museum of Art:

For example, these in Naoshima:

And many exhibition halls, such as Chichu Museum of Art and Teshima Museum of Art, are It is necessary to limit the number of admissions and make reservations to queue up. If you visit during the peak season, you will not only need to queue longer, but also risk not being able to queue up.

The above-mentioned permanent venues require additional tickets, and the Art Festival is no exception; there are two types of joint tickets during the Art Festival: one is the "three-season joint ticket" that is valid for all sessions in 2019. "Ticket" is a "limited extension ticket" that is only valid in spring, summer and autumn. In other words, although the time limit for tickets is very broad, in addition to joint tickets and special venue tickets, you also need to buy boat tickets to travel to and from various islands. Seto Inland Sea weather conditions in summer

It is also worth mentioning that summer in the Seto Inland Sea area is very hot and humid (mosquitoes are also unusually powerful!). In the case of high temperature and humidity, riding a bicycle and taking public transportation to various venues is a huge test for physical strength. If you must go, then again, avoid weekends and holidays if you can, because this is also the peak travel period for Japanese people.

If you go when there are fewer people, the look and experience will be very different. When to Book a Flight

Of course, if you have already booked a flight for summer, it’s better to take it as it comes. After nearly ten years of development, the service industry on the small island has developed tremendously. In particular, Shodoshima, which has a good foundation of tourism resources, has opened some new stores with unique characteristics.

"Shodoshima" is the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. Because of the many olive trees planted there, it is also called the Olive Island by the locals. In addition to olive trees, there is more than 400 years of soy sauce brewing history here. The olive grove and soy sauce workshop are both famous attractions in Shodoshima.

Originally, Shodoshima, like surrounding areas, is facing an aging population and economic recession. The good operation of the Setouchi Art Festival has brought popularity to this small island. Over the past ten years, *** have moved in Hundreds of young new residents have been recruited, who run restaurants, shops, cafes and hotels on the island, providing life services to visitors who come for art.

"Kikutaro Bakery & Cafe" (2267-5 Ikeda, Azuki-machi, Shodo-gun, Kagawa) is a new store opened by a farm operator on the island. It sells bread on the first floor. The products strive to use local specialty ingredients, such as olives and mandarins, as well as curry bread made from "olive Wagyu" beef fed with olives.

The owner Inoue originally ran a farm on the island, planting fruit trees and olive trees. Most of the ingredients used in the bread came from his own farm. The second floor is a cafe that is only open on holidays. The terrace overlooks the port. view.

"TODAYISTHEDAY" (Kagawa_Azuki-gun Azuki_Machi Nishimura A 2019-2

) is a cafe that roasts its own coffee beans and also serves chocolate and wine. It is run by It was renovated from a private house near the sea. In front of it is Olive

Beach, the largest bathing beach in Shodoshima. The owner moved here from Kamakura and wanted to open a cafe where people can "just stare at the sea and be in a daze".

"usukefare

" (131-1 Nakayama, Shodo Town, Shodo County, Kagawa City) is not close to the sea, but is located on Shodoshima Mountain. This store was formerly somen noodles workshop , now converted into an art gallery-style store.

The store stocks handmade ceramics, handicrafts, accessories and clothing. In the antique factory building, outside the window, the scenery changes with the four seasons. The owner and his wife are "immigrants" from Yutama County. They mainly choose the works of artists and craft writers in Setouchi, but they also look across the country to select products.

Shodoshima's famous Japanese-style inn "_Sukumari" opened a branch - "Kaine Mari" in the spring of 2019. The owner of the two inns, Yasuyuki Mawatari, is a native of Shodoshima. After graduating from high school, he began to learn cooking, and later returned to the island to run Shimajuku Mari, a Japanese-style hotel that combines cuisine.

He put his effort into studying the combination of local ingredients and the taste of soy sauce and olive oil, and also carefully thought about the hotel business model on the island. Now, Mari Shimajuku combines spa, hot springs, food, and soy sauce workshops. and souvenir shop. The occupancy rate of 8 rooms exceeds 90% throughout the year. It is difficult to find a room in the peak season.

The newly opened Kaiin Mari is planned to have six rooms, but currently only two are open for reservation. It enjoys the same services as Shimajuku Mari, but the view facing the sea is better.

With the official mobile APP map, finding the way is more convenient!

In the past, island hopping in the Seto Inland Sea had to rely on some folk guides and an official paper map, or Just check the official website. This year, the Setouchi Art Festival launched an official free APP.

You can instantly check the surrounding area of ??your location, the location of the exhibition hall and the introduction of the works, which is very convenient. The iOS version is already online (download address: app.setouchi-artfest.jp), and the Android version will have to wait.

The last big trick - join the official VIP group

During the art festival, the pier will be crowded with travelers from all over the world and there will be queues at the boating point. Long queue.

You can participate in a chartered boat trip organized by the official website (official website order: /visit/official-tour/), accompanied by a tour guide throughout the journey, and only one person can form a group. You don’t need to make your own guide to get a reasonable price. Arrange the route, save energy and time, and get exclusive souvenirs from the Setouchi International Arts Festival.

2019 Setouchi International Art Festival

Setouchi Triennale2019

Time

Spring Exhibition (Spring Encounter)

April 26 (Friday) ~ May 26 (Sunday)

Summer Exhibition (Summer Gathering)

July 19 (Friday) ~ August 25 (Sunday) )

Autumn Exhibition (The Succession of Autumn)

September 28 (Saturday) to November 4 (Monday)

Venue

Naoshima, Toshima, Megijima, Ogijima, Shodoshima,

Oshima, Inujima, Sami Island (spring exhibition),

Mainjima (autumn exhibition) ), Takami Island (Autumn Exhibition),

Kurishima (Autumn Exhibition), Ibuki Island (Autumn Exhibition),

Takamatsu Port and Uno Port areas

Ticket price

Three-season pass

4,800_(general), 3,000_(16 to 18 years old)

Session-limited ticket

4,000_(general), 2,500_(16 to 18 years old)