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Naoshima, JAPAN
Where to StayFirst museum restaurants, now museum hotels: Benesse House has cornered the market with four upscale digs simply called Museum, Oval, Park and Beach. A concierge service introduced in May ups the comfort factor. Naturally, artwork decorates most of the spaces. Hotel and restaurant reservations are through Benesse House. Here are a few of our favourite features. Local planners would not allow a pure museum, so the first art hub was built with eight top-floor rooms in the concrete-clad Museum. For one of the most sublime hotel architecture experiences, take a private funicular monorail to the six-room Oval. Introverts will like the wind-rippled, Zen-like central fountain. Extroverts will like the 360-degree view of the Inland Sea from the private deck. Everyone will love the personal on-call barman next door. The two-storey Park might resemble a high-end motel, but Japanese architect Tadao Ando is anything but modest; it’s all modulating light and custom millwork. The 41-room ryokan is also home to a spa and shops. A more intimate experience is found in the expansive surfside suites at Beach, with their salt-splashed cast concrete. The most primal beachside experience is Benesse’s on-site oceanfront Mongolian-style tents – a bargain at $36 a night. Benesse House Gotanji, Naoshima-cho, 81-87-892-2030, naoshima-is.co.jp Where to EatMuseum Restaurant serves ample Japanese breakfasts and even more elaborate evening kaiseki ryori (tasting menu) panoramas of culinary art. The art on the walls, including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, has no doubt inspired the saturated colours and umami factor of its Naoshimakaiseki Sakura menu. (Even locals whip out cameras for shots of these artful platters.) Reservations are a must. The seaside Terrace Restaurant dishes out a hearty breakfast buffet. Dinner is an Italian affair, though some dishes are admittedly lost in translation. What to DoThe hotel can arrange ferries and taxis for a half-day visit to the studio of late iconic Japanese-American designer and sculptor Isamu Noguchi on the island of Shikoku, where he returned in the 1960s. Nearby, in the bustling town of Takamatsu, you’ll find ancient houses and a sake factory at Shikoku-mura heritage park. Swing by Waraya restaurant, in a 17th-century building at the entrance, for the best-ever tempura and cold handmade Sanuki udon noodles. Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan 3519 Mure, Mure-cho, Takamatsu-shi, 81-87-870-1500, isamunoguchi.or.jp ResourcesPhilip Jodidio’s sleek coffee table book Tadao Ando at Naoshima: Art, Architecture, Nature offers up an armchair trip to Naoshima through sketches, interviews and beautifully rendered photos. Travel PlannerWhat to Pack in August Good to Know Time Difference* The Experts Naoshima Tourist Association Japan National Tourist Organization
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