Ogijima in September

 

Believe it or not, I hadn’t been to Ogijima since last Spring. There are a bunch of reasons for this. They’re not that interesting that I need to mention them. Except maybe the most recent one: this summer that’s just ending was just too hot to spend the day outdoors pretty much anywhere.

But yesterday, for the first time since late June, early July, the temperature was below 30°C (barely 29°C), the weather was wonderful: sunny but not too sunny, no humidity, a pleasant breeze. I had to go out, and I had to return to Ogijima. So that’s exactly what I did.

Here are some pictures.

 

Before I show you Ogijima yesterday, let’s look at Takamatsu as the ferry was leaving:

While not complete, the future Kagawa Arena pretty much has its definitive outdoor look. I’m still not sure what to think of it. Sure, it looks interesting and even probably impressive for people who see it for the first time on a boat, but I can’t help to feel a bit underwhelmed compared to what was promised. And don’t get me started with the fact that it’s built on the former location of one of the few free and public green spaces that were left in the city. But a lawn is not good for the economy, I guess, who cares if residents need them for their overall well-being?

Anyway, let’s talk about positive things and Ogijima.

Our first stop was the beach!

Feet got wet. Fun was had.

 

On the way to and from the beach, we said hello and goodbye to Keisuke Yamaguchi’s Walking Ark:

 

 

Then, we went to Takeshi Kawashima & Dream Friends Gallery to very probably wave farewell to Dancing in the Seto:

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to know more about it, I invite you to read my most recent post about the artwork:

“Dancing in the Seto” by Takeshi Kawashima & Dream Friends – Setouchi Triennale 2022

 

I’m hinting at a farewell because if things are the same as every Setouchi Triennale, a new piece of art from Takeshi Kawashima should be installed next year. We’ll see. Oh, and unless I’m mistaken, yesterday was the last time the gallery was open until the next art festival. So, it very probably was a farewell.

 

Outside of the gallery, there is one of the “Ogijima Wallalley” walls:

While the artwork has been on Ogijima since the very first art festival in 2010, the artist, Rikuji Makabe, comes back regularly (every three years usually) to clean and fix them. He basically repaints them, and what’s interesting is that this way, while the artwork is still the same, it’s also a new one every time. He came last Spring, and did just that.

 

Next, we went to Akinorium. I only took one picture and didn’t film anything. As it was one of the few opportunities to enjoy it without many people around, I seized it.

I also very recently wrote about it on this blog. If you’ve missed the post, here it is:

Akinorium (Setouchi Triennale 2022)

 

While the place didn’t have many visitors, it was not completely empty as I ran into another of Takamatsu’s long-term residents who also has a love for the islands. He takes some pretty amazing pictures. I invite you to check them out on his Instagram account.

 

Finally, our last artistic stop of the day was one of my very favorite places in the area, Ogijima Pavilion by Shigeru Ban and Oscar Oiwa:

If you’re not familiar with it, once again, I invite you to read a blog post dedicated to it from shortly after its opening:

Ogijima Pavilion by Oscar Oiwa & Shigeru Ban (Setouchi Triennale 2022)

 

For some reasons, I always have a soft spot for this panel. The reasons:

Ogijima Pavilion Preview – Setouchi Triennale 2022

 

This is what the inside of the Pavilion looks today:

Pretty awesome, don’t you think?

A piece of advice is to visit it as late as possible during the day (as it closes at 4:30 p.m. let’s say 4 p.m. – the pictures of this post were taken between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

The picture above is what it usually looks like.

However, it has another possible “configuration.” One I had seen pictures and preparatory drawings of, but that I hadn’t experienced yet. Well, I did yesterday, and it really was the perfect day for it.

See the big window? It’s made of three panels, and when you open them and slide them one in front of the others, the three drawings merge into a fourth one.

Enjoy:

 

 

 

 

 

Not much to show you about the rest of the day. My son played with his friends who live on the island, while I chatted with their parents a bit, and relaxed the rest of the time.

Oh, yes, there’s one last picture:

So, here is the thing. There’s this video game, soon to become an anime, called Summer Pockets, that I know nothing about except that a lot of its landscapes and locations are strongly inspired from actual locations in the Seto Inland Sea, including on Ogijima. And nowadays, in Japan, there is some sort of “anime tourism” that’s developing, and more and more fans of that particular game come to the islands to visit the locations. A few weeks ago, there was also an event linked to Summer Pockets that took place on Ogijima. And yesterday, that car. I’m not exactly sure it belongs to a tourist or someone else, but I was surprised to see such a car on Ogijima. Yes, by the way, don’t bring your car on Ogijima, there is no road to drive it.

Alright, that’s all for now.

Now that the weather is bearable again, I’ll do my best to return to Ogijima and other islands more regularly.

Stay tuned and