JOIN ME IN JAPAN: BENESSE ART SITE NAOSHIMA & ECHIGO-TSUMARI ART FIELD

NIIGATA & ECHIGO-TSUMARI ART FIELD:  SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 11, 2018  

NAOSHIMA EXTENSION: AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

Imagine a culture embedded with a great regard for art, celebrating and sharing creative spirit as a unifying element for culture, economy and community. Two regions in Japan are awaiting your arrival, which are Echigo-Tsumari in Niigata Prefecture and the Naoshima Islands in the Inland Sea.

For those of us who are moved by art, intrigued by artists and always of a mind to talk about both, Echigo-Tsumari and the Naoshima Islands will exhilarate. Both tregions, once in decline, and suffering their own forms of destitution have been resurrected by the inventiveness of art and architectural projects in the context of regional Japan. In both cases, the Japanese people have returned to their respective hometowns and started a revolution fueled by the human spirit and love-of-place, now two of the best examples of cultural revitalization based on the belief that art has the power to heal and provide. 

Naoshima's Benesse Art Site is now considered one of the top places to visit in the world, and is also inextricably linked with the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale, directed by Fram Kitagawa, internationally renown for serving as founding advisor for Naoshima's Setouchi Triennale launched in 2010.  These movements have been enormously successful in helping Japan revitalize its regional and national spirit through art.  This is the trip for you if you want to explore first-hand these important narratives, to experience some of the world's best contemporary art, and to immerse yourself in connecting with art, nature, and the Japanese people.

This trip includes exclusive access to private collections, gardens, art historical sites and museums of Niigata region.  You will receive in-depth guidance through the art sites, and meet curatorial and local supporters of the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale in Tōkamachi and the adjacent Water and Land Festival in Niigata.  There will be an overnight stay in James Turrell's House of Light, and, stays in the beautiful Japanese Inns of the famous hot spring towns of Yamagata and Niigata prefecture.  We will engage in cultural exchange with the people of the region including a temple pilgrimage and visits to local artisans' studios.  This is an extraordinary trip that cannot be imitated, and it is enthusiastically curated using expertise and services for a seamless travel experience in Japan.   A bullet point itinerary is noted below.  Pricing, registration forms, deposit information, and the terms and conditions will be forwarded upon show of interest.

YOUR TRIP CALENDAR:

Naoshima Extension Program:

August 27 Departure from U.S. to Japan

August 28 Arrive Ōsaka (ahead in time by 12 - 17 hours)  - Westin Osaka

August 29 Transfer to Naoshima

August 30 Naoshima

August 31 Naoshima

September 1 Naoshima

September 2 Naruto

Main Program:

September 2 Departure from U.S. to Japan

September 3 Transfer to Tōkyō / Meet in Tōkyō

September 4 Transfer to Yamagata (Shōnai) Tsuruoka

September 5 Tsuruoka

September 6 Niigata

September 7 Niigata

September 8 Matsunoyama Onsen & Tokamachi

September 9 Matsunoyama Onsen & Tokamachi

September 10 Matsunoyama Onsen & Tokamachi / James Turrell’s House of Light

September 11 Transfer to Tōkyō  - depart from Tōkyō, arrive same day (cross international date line)