Mid-conference study visits

Updated on September 9, 2015

Theme: Islands of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Introduction
Study Visit 1. Ya-shima 屋島: Geological Wonder I – Stones and Arts –
Study Visit 2. Shōdo-shima 小豆島: Geological Wonder II – Stones and Foods –
Study Visit 3. Te-shima 豊島: Waste and Wonder Arts
Study Visit 4. Nao-shima 直島: Chemical Industry and Wonder Arts

Source: Tempo-kuni-ezu

Introduction:

What does the future hold for the islands of the Seto Inland Sea? Let us visit some of the islands for some hints.

Foreign visitors to the Seto Inland Sea from the Edo 江戸 to Meiji 明治 era were not only surprised at the beauty of the landscape but praised the courtesy of the people and their simple lifestyles. Like many other parts of early modern Japan, the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, its coastline and plains were home to the perfect balance of rice and vegetable production and a lifestyle of enjoying nature’s blessings from both the mountains and the sea, in accordance with local conditions. Local agriculture, forestry and fisheries defined by the natural characteristics of each region required an unimaginable amount of labor and devotion. The people of the plains, the sea and the mountains carefully maintained their natural and living environment, thus developing the village landscapes

In particular, Bisan-seto 備讃瀬戸, or the area lying between Kagawa 香川 and Okayama 岡山 Prefectures, characterized by a warm climate with little rain, uniquely developed as rich farmland supported by a wealth of man-made ponds and also as an active sea transport-based economy due to its geographical proximity to Kyoto and Osaka, the center of Japanese economy. A sailing journal written by a foreigner who visited the islands of the Seto Inland Sea praises not only the natural beauty of the area, but the cultural landscape fostered by a lifestyle in close contact with a wider network. However, the high economic growth period after World War II brought drastic change to the islands, which are now challenged with an aging society with fewer children and a stagnant regional economy.

The local organizers are delighted to offer four mid-conference study visits on islands of the Seto Inland Sea. Each excursion will look at various aspects of the challenges faced by the islands and past islands of the Seto Inland Sea with the hope of gaining insight on the local future. The following four trips will be held on Friday, October 23, 2015:

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for their generous support for our Mid-Conference Study Visits:

• Kagawa Prefecture
• Takamatsu Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Shodo-shima Town
• Suntory Foundation

Study Visit 1. “Ya-shima 屋島”: Geological Wonder I – Stones and Arts –

Ya-shima 屋島 (“屋”[Ya] “島”[Shima] = Ya-Island) is a symbol of Takamatsu that is illustrated as an island in pictorial diagrams from the Edo era. Today, it is no longer an island, which brings us to wonder when it became connected to the mainland.

Ya-shima and Go-ken-zan 五剣山, which is located to its east, are known for their unique geological structures and contrasting shapes. Because they are closely located we can discover much about Ya-shima by learning about Go-ken-zan, and vice versa. The local history is an accumulation of diverse events from ancient times through modern times that have occurred as a consequence of these geological characteristics. Given their beautiful shapes, the mountains were also listed among the most beautiful mountains in the Edo era.

Participants of this study visit will first become acquainted with local traditional knowledge and stone-cutting techniques in the hands-on exhibit at the Stone Culture Museum. Then, they will visit the studio of world-famous sculptor Isamu Noguchi (the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan) to feel the working atmosphere of his artwork, which was inspired by the natural environment. After enjoying Sanuki udon 讃岐うどん for lunch, participants will learn about the historical interaction between nature and culture through visits to ancient Korean mountain castle ruins and a medieval battlefield, and also about early modern and modern land reclamation projects and stone-cutting and salt-making industries. From the mountaintop of Ya-shima, participants will enjoy a panoramic view of the historical landscape, which embraces an ancient mountain castle, medieval temples and battlefield, modern Takamatsu City, and the Seto Inland Sea. The tour will end in one of Japan’s longest shopping arcades in mid-town Takamatsu.

*The tea ceremony at Ritsurin Park, which was included in the original schedule has been cancelled. A tea ceremony will be performed at Hi-un-kaku 披雲閣 on October 22.

Destinations: Ya-shima 屋島 / Mu-re 牟礼 / Go-ken-zan 五剣山
Cost: 5,000 Yen (includes all transport, entrance fees and lunch meal)
Duration: 8.45 am to 4.30 pm
Capacity: 45 people

Further information: Participants are asked to travel independently to the starting point of the study visit, Sunport Takamatsu, on foot. A tour bus will pick you up and take you to inspiring sites in Ya-shima and Mure, as well as surrounding natural and artificial sites of interest, including the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan. Participants should be prepared for uneven ground and wet weather and are therefore advised to wear/carry stout shoes, rain apparel, and water and sun protection. Participants who would prefer not to walk in the fields will be able to stay on the bus. All entrance fees are included in the cost of the study visit.

Study Visit 2. “Shōdo-shima 小豆島”: Geological Wonder II – Stones and Foods –

Twenty thousand to thirty thousand years ago, before the formation of the Seto Inland Sea, sanukite and ganite was formed in the Higashi Seto-uchi 東瀬戸内 area, which currently covers the area to the east of the Seto Ohashi Bridge. Shodo-shima Town, has established a “Shodo-shima World Heritage Promotion Office” with the aim of registering Shodo-shima as a World Cultural Heritage site.

In Japan, Shodo-shima is well-known for its unique food culture history, represented by the development of soy sauce-making and olive cultivation. The island is also home to quality stone, which brings us to wonder, can we find any links between its food and stone cultures?

Known by the name “Azuki-shima” in ancient times, Shodo-shima is one of Japan’s most renowned producers of somen noodles 素麺, shoyu 醤油 (soy sauce), tsukudani 佃煮 (small fish simmered in soy sauce and mirin), sesame oil and olives. Somen-making was first introduced to Shodo-shima in 1598 from Miwa in Nara and gradually modified to accommodate local characteristics. Somen noodles are still handmade in Shodo-shima today. Soy sauce manufacturing developed into an industry, or came to be manufactured for sale outside the island, in 1804. Shodo-shima became the first place in Japan to start growing olives in 1908. It is important to note that various improvements have been continued to date.

When Osaka Castle 大阪城 was renovated in 1620, stones were cut out of the mountains of Shodo-shima. However the island’s stone industry has not necessary followed a growth path to date. While Shodo-shima’s food culture has survived market competition, we have yet to find out what will happen to its stone culture. Given strong hopes for its recovery, participants will not only be invited to observe local sites but also to participate in a workshop with local residents to exchange knowledge and ideas for a sustainable stone culture.

Destinations: Ikeda 池田 / Obe 大部 / Hishio-no-sato 醤の郷 / Kouno-ura 神浦 / Mito-hanto 三都半島, Shōdo-shima 小豆島
Cost: 5,000 Yen (includes all transport, entrance fees, lunch, a souvenir bottle of shoyu 醤油, and a light evening meal)
Duration: 8:00 am to 6:10 pm
Capacity: 56 people

Further information: Participants are asked to travel independently to the starting point of the study visit, Sunport Takamatsu, on foot or by public transport. You will travel by ferry from Takamatsu to Shōdo-shima and back. On the island, bus transportation will be provided by courtesy of Shodo-shima Town. You will go by bus to Obe to see the remains of historical stone-cutting sites and then to Fukuda for a workshop on “Stone and Food Culture”. Then, you will visit Hishio no Sato 醤の郷 [hometown of Sho-yu 醤油] district to explore shoyu cellars, which are open to tourists. The final stop will be Kouno-ura, Mito-hanto, where you can see artwork by James Jack, one of our distinguished conference participants. As the tour will include some uneven ground/fields, participants are advised to wear/carry stout shoes, as well as rain apparel and water and sun protection. Participants who would prefer not to walk in the fields are welcome to wait on the bus or in a local café, etc.

Study Visit 3. “Te-shima 豊島”: Waste and Wonder Arts

It is not difficult to imagine that Te-shima 豊島 was, as its name (“豊”[Te] = bountiful; shima “島”[Shima] = island) implies, was a rich island. It enjoyed an abundant source of water supplied from its cleverly designed network of groundwater, rainwater, rivers and artificial ponds. In addition, the surrounding seawater provided the island with riches not limited to secure livelihoods.

However, the continuous illegal dumping of industrial waste comprising mainly automobile shredder residue in a corner of the island left the island with over 900,000 tons of industrial waste and contaminated soil. This event changed the once abundant lives of the island residents, who were challenged with a polluted ocean, a shattered yellowtail farming industry, health problems and devastated agricultural and fishery sectors due to harmful rumors. On November 11, 1993, a group of 549 residents sought environmental dispute arbitration against the prefectural government and the waste disposal contractor based on Act for the Settlement of Environmental Pollution Disputes.

As of August 1, 2013, 949 people live on Te-shima island, with 46.6% of the population aged over 65 years old. The island covers an area of 14.49 square meters and its circumference is 18.0 km. The highest mountain on the island, Dan-yama 檀山, with an altitude of 339.8m, was once a green mountain covered with Castanopsis sieboldii, but the illegal dump site remains desolate.

What does the future hold for Te-shima? Participants of this study visit will explore the many different faces of an island with memories of a beautiful and rich past, struggling with the negative legacy of economic high growth, and seeking a more promising future. Despite the negative changes experienced since the post-war high economic growth period, the island could be standing at a turning point towards a brighter future. Spectacular artwork, including the Teshima Art Museum 豊島美術館, along with the Setouchi Triennale (Setouchi Art Festival) may be promising drivers of change.

Destinations: Ie-ura 家浦 / Industrial Waste Site / Kara-to 唐櫃, Te-shima豊島
Cost: 5,000 Yen (includes all transport and guide fees, including admission to Teshima Art Museum 豊島美術館, and lunch)
Duration: 8.30 am to 5.30 pm
Capacity: 33 people

Further information: Participants are asked to travel independently to the starting point of the study visit, Sunport Takamatsu, on foot or by public transport. You will travel on a chartered high-speed boat from Takamatsu to Te-shima and back. Participants will visit historical industrial waste sites accompanied by a local guide, with English translation (included in the cost of the field trip). As the tour around the villages will include some uneven ground, participants should wear/carry stout shoes (suitable for walking over uneven ground/fields), rain apparel, and water and sun protection. A lunchtime meeting will be held on “Wastes and Wonder Arts” in Kara-to from 0:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The tour will end with a visit to Japan’s longest shopping arcades in mid-town Takamatsu and Ritsurin Park.

Study Visit 4. “Nao-shima 直島”: Chemical Industry and Wonder Arts

Slightly smaller than Te-shima, Nao-shima 直島 covers an area of 14.22 square kilometers and is populated by 3,151 people as of February 1, 2015. Like Te-shima, Nao-shima is a part of Kagawa Prefecture but is geographically closer to Uno Por t宇野港 in Okayama Prefecture, from which it is only a 20-minute ferry ride to Miya-ura Port 宮浦港 facing Okayama, whereas it takes one hour from Takamatsu.

The island holds many impressions. Nao-shima approached from Uno Port is devastating, with a view of Mitsubishi Material’s imposing factory and a bare brown mountain in the background. In 1916, Nao-shima village agreed to let Mitsubishi Joint Stock Company build a copper smelter. The sulfur dioxide discharged in the process of copper smelting killed all of the trees in the mountains and consequently caused water-related hazards, thus driving the island in the Seto Inland Sea into becoming a site for similar industrial facilities. The copper smelter in Nao-shima eventually became the Mitsubishi Material Naoshima Copper Smelter. Eventrually, the Naoshima Eco-Town project (Eco-Island Naoshima Plan), which include plans to build an integrated industrial waste processing facility, was formulated. Under the project, in 2003, the Kagawa Prefecture Naoshima Environmental Center (intermediate treatment plant) started operations, followed by the precious metals recycling facility and melted fly ash recycling facility. The illegally dumped industrial waste stored and packaged in Te-shima is all transported to Nao-shima. This process will be continued in the future.

Nao-shima also has a completely difference face as an island of art. It has become a new center of art promotion (http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/), welcoming tourists from all over the world. Embracing a surprising contrast of a sunny side and dark shadows, Nao-shima will welcome participants with much to explore and think about.

Destinations: Shimo-tsu-i 下津井 / Uno 宇野 (Okayama 岡山), Miya-no-ura 宮浦 / Hon-mura 本村, Kagawa Prefecture Naoshima Environmental Center, Nao-Shima 直島 (Kagawa 香川)
Cost: 5,000 Yen (includes all transport, guide fees, including admission to the Chichu Art Museum 地中美術館, and lunch)
Duration: 8.00 am to 6.00 pm
Capacity: 27 people

Further information: Participants are asked to travel independently to the starting point of the study visit, Sunport Takamatsu, on foot. Participants will travel by chartered tour bus over the Great Seto Bridge 瀬戸大橋 from Takamatsu to Shimo-tsui, where you will revisit early modern times at a small maritime museum, and then to Uno Port, from which you will take a public ferry to Nao-shima. The tour bus will be available for travels on the island. The trip back from Nao-shima to Takamatsu will also be via public ferry. The walking tour around the villages will include some uneven ground, and thus participants should wear/carry stout shoes (suitable for walking over uneven ground/fields), rain apparel, and water and sun protection. Participants who would prefer not to walk in the fields will be able to stay in a café, etc. A lunchtime meeting will be held on “Chemical Industry and Wonder Arts” in the Art House Project from 0:50 pm to 1:40 pm.

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