Shikoku Mura is an open air museum situated at the base of Yashima. This pleasant hillside park preserves and exhibits traditional buildings and structures that have been relocated here from all over Shikoku Island.
Among the exhibited buildings, which mainly date from the Edo and Meiji Periods, are a number of farmhouses and storehouses, as well as various traditional workshops that produced goods such as sugar and soya sauce.
Other structures exhibited include bridges, a lighthouse and a kabuki theater with open-air seating which occasionally hosts performances. One of the most popular attractions is a vine suspension bridge, made out of vine and wood (and reinforced by steel cables).
Shikoku Mura also has a small art gallery showing paintings and sculpture by modern artists from around the world. The gallery has a nice view over the surrounding city and occasionally holds live performances and special events.
Naoshima, commonly known as Japan’s art island, is a tiny island in the Seto Inland Sea, and one of our absolute favorite places in Japan.
Until the early 1990s, Naoshima was a remote and sleepy island, but — thanks in large part to an art-loving Japanese businessman’s vision — it has gradually become one of the world’s most unique destinations for art lovers and travelers seeking one-of-a-kind experiences.
The island was included in National Geographic’s 19 Places to Indulge Yourself, featuring tips from Boutique Japan founder Andres Zuleta.
While usually missed by first-time visitors to Japan, Naoshima has an atmosphere like nowhere else. In addition to its tiny traditional fishing villages, Miyanoura and Honmura, you’ll find stunning architecture by Tadao Ando, museums, colorful galleries and installations, and charming cafes – all in a laid-back atmosphere amid beautiful scenery.
