Early Morning Views of the Inland Sea

After coming down from my night spent on Mount Kannomine I started walking up the coast of Osakikamijima on my third day walking along the Aki Nada chain of islands in the Inland Sea. I love sleeping out at the highest point anywhere, and on the islands in the Inland Sea the views are particularly impressive. Links to posts on Mount Kannomine are here   here   and here.

I was heading up to Kinoe, a port on the East coast of the ilsnad from where I could take a ferry to Takehara on the mainland of Hiroshima. A car ferry also runs from Kinoe across to Omishima and the Shimanamikaido.

This eastern end of the Aki Nada Islands is close to the chain of islands that comprise the Shimanami kaido, and as both are popularly cycling routes it is a way of connecting the two.

Kinoe was in forer times a major port for ships plying the Inland Sea route..... the expressway of historical Japan. Kinoe was well known a place where sailors could purchase the companionship of young women, though Mitarai on Osaki Shimojima was higher-class and busier.

A Walk from Honshu to Shikoku Day 2 (afternoon)

After crossing the Tatara Bridge the Shimanami kaido runs down the SE edge of Omishima. Omishima is the biggest of the islands on the route, and there is plenty to see around the island, but I had been here a month or two earlier so this time I decided to press on and try to get to the next island, Hakatajima, to spend the night.

On calm, sunny days, of which there are plenty in the Inland Sea, the sea is really quite beautiful. There are just a few small fishing harbors on this part of the island.

Omishima and Hakatajima are quite close together, so no suspension bridge is needed. The arch bridge was the first of the bridges to be built on the Shimanami kaido, opening to traffic in 1979, and at that time was the longest arch bridge in Japan with a span of 297 meters. There are a few minshuku on Hakatajima, and I was hoping to rent a room for the night, but I had no luck, not because they were full but because they were empty and didnt want to open at such short notice for just one customer, so I replenished my supplies at the conbini and headed the short distance to the next bridge to try and find somewhere to sleep out.

Hakatajima connects to the last island Ohshima by two bridges. The first reaches to a tiny uninhabited island called Michika Island and there is an exit from the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists because there is a campsite down on a small beach. The campsite was closed and no-one else was on the island so I set up camp in a roofed picnic area right on the highest point of the island. I spent the last hour or so of the day relaxing, eating, and drinking as I took in the great views of the sunset....

Inside the Tokoro Museum

This is a follow on post from this earlier one. The most striking thing about the inside of the gallery is the wooden lattice roof that runs the length of the building and suffuses the interior with light.

The long, narrow interior has the space divided into descending levels that go down the hillside. Some of the interior space is divided by curved partitions.

The gallery/museum is located on the island of Omishima between Hiroshima and Ehime and is now part of the Shimanami Kaido which connects Shikoku to Honshu via a series of bridges and islands.

At the lower end of the gallery is a small cafe and patio with fantastic views across the Inland Sea. The end of the building is completely open, allowing the wind and weather in and giving the feeling that the museum is outside.

On display are contemporary scuptures belonging to the collection of wealthy art-collector Atsuo Tokoro, including artworks by Noe Katz, Marisol, Norichika Hayashi, and Takashi Fukai, none of whom I have heard of before as I no longer follow any kind of art scene.

Also on the small island are the nearby Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, the Ken Iwata Mother and Child Museum, a big museum on the calligraphy of Murakami Santo, the Omishima Museum of Art, and several museums at Oyamazumi Shrine displaying samurai armour and weaponry, so worth spending a day there.

Tokoro Museum (outside)

Located on the island of Omishima, just a few hundred meters from Toyo Ito's Museum of Architecture, the Tokoro Museum houses a collection of contemporary sculptures belonging to wealthy art collector Atsuo Tokoro.

Actually Ito's museum grew out of a scheme for him to build an annex for this museum.

Its constructed on a slope on the clifftop with fantastic views over the Inland Sea and its design is somewhat reminiscent of a climbing kiln.

2 plain concrete walls topped with an arched wooden lattice roof is divided into 3 section and access to each section is via an external "corridor". The end wall opens opens onto an elevated patio.

The museum is open from 9 to 5 and closed on Mondays. Entrance is 300 yen for adults though its a little cheaper if you by a combined ticket to also visit the nearby Museum of Architecture and the Ken Iwata Mother & Child Museum.

Access is by an infrequent bus service.

Steel Hut

The Steel Hut, along with the Silver Hut, make up the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture.

Unsurprisingly it was designed by architect Toyo Ito.

It is located near the small fishing village of Munakata on Omishima in the Seto Inland Sea between Hiroshima and Shikoku.

On the website for the museum you can download the plan of its design and construct one yourself out of paper........ here

The building consists of four different polyhedrons and is constructed in steel.

Construction finished and the museum opened in 2011.

Silver Hut

Silver Hut is a copy of architect Toyo Ito's home that he built for himself in 1984 in Tokyo. It won the Architecture Institute of Japan Award in 1986. This copy was built in 2011 and is located on the island of Omoshima between Hiroshima and Shikoku.

According to Ito he got the idea for the building after watching a TV program showing astronauts sharing a meal together on the space station.

Photos ive seen of the original show it surrounded by trees and foliage and looks better as a living space than this new version which sits alone.

Silver Hut and the adjacent Steel Hut form the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture. I will post on the Steel Hut later.

The building houses an archive of ito's drawings and plans and is used for workshops and other events.

Ken Iwata Mother & Child Museum

The Ken Iwata Mother & Child Museum opened a few months ago in the tiny fishing village of Munakata on Omishima island in the Set Inland sea. It is part of Imabari City on Shikoku.

I can find very little information about the sculptor Ken Iwata other than he was born in 1924 and lives in Saitama. Mother and child seems to be a major preoccupation of his work.

I can find no connection between him and Omishima, and the only connection seems to be the architect of the museum, Toyo Ito.

Toyo Ito is also not from Omishima, but within the village of Munakata he has built 4 structures, the other three I will post on in the coming weeks.

The museum is basically a circular concrete wall with an overhanging lip and a couple of glass walls.

The museum is open from 9 to 5 and entrance is 300yen.

A few of the 44 sculptures on display....

Manhole Fruit

Manhole Fruit

Found this one outside of Yanai in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Not sure which fruit it is other than a citrus.

Mito Town down in the west of Shimane is known for its Yuzu, a member of the citrus family that ripens in December.

Asahi Town is up in the mountains a few miles away from my village. They are known for their Nashi, Japanese pears. Much tastier than the pears we have in Europe.

Higashi Izumo seems to favor Kaki, persimmons.

Omishima, a small island in the Inland Sea, part of Ehime grows a lot of different citrus. Not sure which one this is meant to be.