Written by Dave

Tamano to Takamatsu –Art Day – (14k, 87M)

Today was all about getting out to the famous Naoshima Island to see the outdoor art and maybe one of the art museums. At least that was the plan.

Most of the information about the island recommended spending the night there so that you don’t have to rush about seeing everything. We started trying to book a room on the island about a month ago. We couldn’t find anything for less than about $500 USD per night so we compromised and agreed to an early ferry there and a late ferry off, still getting us most of a day. Turns out that today is a national holiday – Culture Day no less – and the museums that required reservations were all booked out.

Not to be deterred we decided to at least go out and take in the free sites and check out the general artist vibe that the island was supposed to have. We caught the 8:20 ferry from Uno Port. It was pretty crowded compared to all the other ferries we’ve been riding but it was a holiday after all.

The first “art” that you see is the famous red pumpkin, it’s placed right at the ferry terminal and you can see it from the boat as it docks. It had nearly no people around it while looking at it from the ferry but we knew it would be a mob scene later when fellow passengers made it their first stop. What to do but get an “artisan” coffee and chill while things cleared out. We searched out a little coffee shop that we had seen on the map that supposedly sold espresso.  We started to explain how to make the coffee we wanted (a cortado) to the barista and he said “cortado” – we let out a small cheer, startling an older Japanese customer. But we got a couple perfect coffees, both worthy of being called art, on the art island – a perfect start.

We then circled back to the red pumpkin and took some photos. There were still quite a few folks about, including a young Japanese boy we almost adopted. Nancy was a good sport and climbed into the pumpkin for obligatory tourist photos. Next stop, the far side of the island, where there were some museums and another famous pumpkin (a yellow one).

The ride to the other side took about 10 minutes even though the tourist brochure said it was 20 minutes and that an e-bike was recommended. We arrived at the yellow pumpkin as a group was leaving, got some nice photos and wandered around the museum grounds for a while. It was quite posh, with a fancy-looking hotel facing out to the sea.  There were hotel guests just exiting the ocean after a swim being greeted by hotel staff with fluffy white robes. We don’t tend we stay at places where staff greet us, much less with fluffy white robes (Senior editor’s note – to my eternal disappointment).

There were a couple other outdoor art pieces at the museum but nothing inspirational – perhaps you need to be an artist to get the full effect of the art there. There were a couple of museums further on in the art precinct, but they required a walk as no bikes were allowed on the road in the art precinct (frustrating).  So, rather than trek too far in our bike shoes we decided to head next to the Honmura Port area where the port terminal was supposed to be worth a look.  It was interesting and very utilitarian, made from what looked like fiberglass, with the inside turned into bicycle parking.

From there it was back to the main port and time to decide what to do next. We were early enough to make the 11:30 ferry but could have also chosen the 2:30 ferry and had lunch on the island. We hummed and hawed a bit, took some more art photos and opted for the early ferry. We have decided that we like art but are not really art people. We find art in a perfect cortado, but tire of museums. Having them booked out was not necessarily a bad thing – we got to see enough to wet our appetites but not so much as to wear us down.

While on the ferry Nancy found a portside Indian restaurant that was open on the holiday so we headed there after disembarking (yes, it was a two ferry day – Nancy did both without her magic wristbands). We aren’t necessarily tired of Japanese food but we both like a nice Indian curry and we haven’t had the chance in Japan until now. The set-meal lunch was quite tasty and just the right amount of food. The Japanese guy running it learned to cook Indian on a trip to Kolkata. We were his only customers and I think he was surprised to see two brightly clothed gaijins in his restaurant.

Still too early for hotel check-in, we stopped for another coffee at the Toy Café. They had a coffee bean vending machine plus did pour over coffees on demand. They had a few toys around the shop as well. Today, we knew exactly what the Anpanman was and got a better photo (thanks MikeH). For those interested in the roaster we saw yesterday, below is the Amazon Japan page where you can purchase one – I’m not sure about shipping.

We are staying tonight in the WeBase hotel Takamatsu. It’s a serviceable hotel/hostel that’s aiming for a hip vibe. Our bathroom is another of those all-in-one units but there is actually a chance that this one would fit in a motor home – it is very small. There’s a tub, but we didn’t try it for fear of not being able to get out. My legs would have hit my chin anyway.

Takamatsu is in the Kagawa prefecture (state). Kagawa is known as the Udon prefecture. It is said to be different here because of the way they hand knead and roll the dough, giving the noodles a firm texture. We asked the hotel and they sent us to Udon-Bou, a nearby restaurant where they still make the noodles in the shop front window. We ordered the house specialty and both really enjoy it. The noodles were indeed firm and broth just the right. It is not a complicated dish, but getting it just right when we are back home, I’m sure, will take a lot of practice.

Tomorrow we head back to Tokushima, on the northern tip of Shikoku. Our ferry today took us off Honshu and back to Shikoku today. We have a few more days riding before we reach Osaka and complete our Japan loop. There is some rain forecast and we are discussing our last night of camping. Maybe the nice campground people will bring us fluffy white robes if we arrive there wet. Time will tell.