I headed for Ogijima next. It is an island that just looks like a group of small hills. Art works and projects were randomly displayed along narrow paths which were not wide enough to drive through a car.

After arrived at the island, we approached the terminal which welcomed me in many different languages . “Ogijima’s soul” by Jaume Plensa was made by the budget from the government. The common thing between two art festivals in Setouchi and Tsumari is that new remarkable architectures built every year to revitalize the local areas. The feature of the art festival directed by Furam Kitagawa is changing a rural area into a great attraction through the art.

A massive painting “Oiwa Island” was inspired by the lives of islander by Oscar Oiwa covered the interior space of the former island community centre. Painted landscape which connected both sides by mirrors provided new perspective of Seto Inland Sea. (Unfortunately, this work has been lost by fire during the art festival.)

I walked along narrow path with hills in surrounding the island. Art works were displayed in many unexpected spaces on the paths and inside and ordinary houses. These interesting exhibits made our walking fun.

Using a reception room in an empty house, there was an installation with the ceramic wave swells and a spray of ceramic flowers above “Sea Vine” by Haruki Takahashi. Beyond the delicate but dynamic ceramic wave swells across the room in a hill, Seto Inland Sea can be seen and it has been uniting the great view.

Unique creatures made from bamboo were able to find in a stable hen house. Various “sound objects” made from bamboo collected from the island were placed as if they were insects and small animals.

Then I walked to the top of the hill. The great view of the island from the small shrine brought me a physical exhaustion with feeling of achievement and beautiful scenery away from daily life. Shikoku prefecture is the region where has quite small number of tourists from foreign countries. People, however, is deeply impressed by the “very Japanese” scenery, which consists of beautiful old houses and a traditional local culture.