About

(pronounced: Setoh Oochee)

“Setouchi” is the name of the region of Japan that encompasses the Seto Inland Sea and its coastal areas. It’s also the name or nickname of many things in this area, including the one of the major art festival taking place in Kagawa Prefecture every three years, the Setouchi Triennale, as well as this site:

This site’s purpose is to help you discover and learn about the Setouchi islands and Kagawa Prefecture. You’ll find various pieces of information about what you can find in the area, from the most famous to the most obscure. Its goal is to make you want to visit the region and go beyond what the bigger travel guides and websites that solely focus on what’s famous have to offer. Besides information pages and a blog, the site has a sister site, Japan Art Islands, that doubles as a newsletter for those of you who want more in-depth knowledge and news about the Setouchi islands and its art.

Hi, I’m David.

Here are a few things you might find interesting about me:

• I was born in the South-West of France in the 1970s.
• I’ve lived in Japan since 2011, having moved here and there during the first part of my adult life (Bordeaux, Toulouse, West Virginia, Florida, Paris).
• I went to Japan for the first time in 2009, and my first stay was in Kagawa, where I live today. I instantly fell in love with the region, especially the Seto Inland Sea and its islands. I don’t know if I would live anywhere else in the country.
• Contrary to what some people think, I don’t live on Ogijima, but in Takamatsu. I’d love to live on Ogijima, but it’s not realistic at the moment.
• I’m a foreign language teacher (English and French) by training. I also studied linguistics, modern French literature, US civilisation, and computer science. Yes, I spent so much time on university benches that it became a career. I now teach English at Kagawa University.
• My encounter with the Setouchi Triennale was almost by chance, but I was so taken by the project that it played a role in my decision to settle in Takamatsu, although it wasn’t the only reason.
• These days, I divide my leisure time between my family, too much time on the computer and visits to the islands in the region.

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