ART AND SOUL

With jaw-dropping beauty and fabulous art centers to appreciate, the Seto Inland Sea is one of Japan’s true unsung treasures

One of Japan’s most beautiful areas, The Seto Inland Sea (Setonaikai) is also an underrated — or, more accurately, overlooked — destination.

Squeezed between Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of Japan’s four main islands, the area is studded with hundreds of alluring smaller green isles, which rise out of the seascape.

Long celebrated for its scenic manna, the area has emerged in recent years as a hub for art thanks to the success of the Setouchi Triennale art festival.

Naoshima, the artiest of all the art islands in the Seto Inland Sea, is the location of the Benesse Art Site, which offers a unique opportunity to see some of Japan’s best contemporary art in gorgeous natural settings.

Museums and numerous outdoor sculptures are situated around the coast. These include Yellow Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama, which has become a symbol of Naoshima.

Naoshima now has a number of world-class art galleries and installations and has attracted creative types from all over Japan to set up businesses here. The art movement has not stopped at Naoshima’s shores, either, with museums and art sites popping up on other islands in the Inland Sea. ...

The influx of creative types has given a timely boost to the economic fortunes of this part of Japan. The Seto Inland Sea has a long and rich history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Jomon period (14,000-300 BCE). The area has long been a hub of trade and commerce, and it played a key role in the development of Japan’s economy. Today, the Seto Inland Sea is known for its beautiful natural surroundings, with numerous small islands, cliffs, and beaches dotting its shores.

One of the most notable features of the Seto Inland Sea is its showpiece bridges, which connect the various islands and ports. The most famous of these is the Great Seto Bridge, which stretches for 13.1 kilometers across the sea and connects the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. This bridge, which was completed in 1988, is one of the longest bridge systems in the world and is an engineering marvel.

The Seto Inland Sea is also home to a diverse array of marine life, including dolphins, whales, and a variety of fish species. The area is a popular destination for fishing, and it is also home to a number of seafood processing and aquaculture businesses.

In addition to its economic and transportation significance, the Seto Inland Sea is also an important cultural and recreational area. The region is home to a number of temples, shrines, and other historical sites, and it is a popular destination for tourists.

Another of its top draws is the Shimanami Kaido, an expressway that links the main islands of Honshu and Shikoku, spanning the 70 kilometers between Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture and Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, crossing six out of the 700 local islands and seven bridges.

The Shimanami Kaido is one of the best cycling routes in Japan. On several courses with a rich variety of scenery, cyclists can enjoy riding in a great environment of scenic coastline, a stunning backdrop of mountains full of orange groves, and traditional Japanese countryside houses.

The most spectacular of all is the seascape views from the bridges. Another unmissable highlight in the area is Shodoshima, which is the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. It is notable for its Mediterranean atmosphere (it’s home to numerous olive plantations), offering beaches, resorts, coastal scenery, and a mountainous interior with the Kankakei Gorge, one of Japan’s most celebrated beauty spots, as a centerpiece.

WHERE TO STAY:

Benesse House

One of the best places to stay in the Setouchi area, Benesse House feels more like a gallery than hotel, with its minimal design, natural light and scattered contemporary artworks.