Island life

Windswept sailor

The Seto inland sea

Nature or man?

Gorgeous! I thought of you Richard!

Abandoned, as so many places are on these dying islands

Even on the one island different villages have different methods of building their walls. In past times they didn't go from one part of the island to the other due to the mountains in the middle.These are very small islands, its amazing.

Almost the Mediterranean!

Buried alive

This is how all sea walls should be made

This is how all walls should be made!

I opened the toilet door and couldn't believe my eyes!!!! Maybe the builder couldn't read plans????!!!

And then he forgot to finish the walls! Very cosy!

Is it a whale? Is it a jumbo jet? Is it a rock?....

Hairy house

Outdoor living Inujima style!

I like these electric bikes!!!! What hill????!!

Fire retardant treatment???

Typical old Japanese construction

It looks great, but don't touch it.

Hello handsome!

Reminds me of the "whack a mole" game!

Weird and wonderful

The aliens have landed

Naoshima Ferry terminal, great design by SAANA architects.

Naoshima bath house. Eclectic!

Bath house entrance

 This bath house is quite a treat. There is amazing artwork and retro pieces everywhere. Set into the bench in  the change room is a tv screen with old footage of naked Japanese bathers. A huge elephant stands upon the wall separating the men's and women's bath. There are many great posters and pictures set into the floor of the bath under the water. Lovely tiling work. All very eccentric.


For more info here is a link:
http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/naoshimasento/portfolio.html
For lots of images of the bath house use this link:
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=naoshima+bath+house+pictures&hl=en&sa=G&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=2TjPT-u5KeLcmAWuv-WBDQ&ved=0CFYQsAQ&biw=1311&bih=504

007 museum. This island was the setting for the Bond book, "The Man with the Red Tattoo"

A vending machine for every occasion in Japan

Love these walls

Lovely laneways

Temple roofs

A treasure trove of 50's memorabilia in the middle of nowhere! The owners were dressed rockabilly style too!

Rock encrusted tori

Who else would have thought of that?!

Seaman Jaspar

Japan's beautiful coastline, as long as man hasn't built anything, its always beautiful

Naoshima Port. They grow mutant vegetables here.

Another mutant vegetable

An artist has gone around the island creating personalised norens (entrance curtains) for many houses and businesses

Those glimpses are magic

Not quite the usual Japanese aesthetic, but practical I guess!

Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama, a crazy old lady who does fabulous artwork! She loves her dots, and so do I.

Comfy pumpkin

Rivers of dots

Looks a bit like an American football player!

Cosy pumpkin

Again, unadulterated Japan is beautiful

One of the nicest beaches in Japan. There are not many!