Architecture Amidst a Sea of Islands
Three Architects Amid a Sea of Islands

Architecture Amidst a Sea of Islands

A journey through the architectural masterpieces of Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, and Tadao Ando

  • Duration: 2 nights, 3 days (Day 1: 8 hours / Day 2: 9 hours)
  • Price: On request
  • Departure: Departure from and arrival at Matsuyama Airport (also available from the hotel)

Overview

The Seto Inland Sea is a place to which Japan’s greatest architects have returned time and again in search of harmony between architecture and nature.

 

Amid tranquil waters, hundreds of islands, gentle light, and ever-changing landscapes, architecture here never seeks to take center stage. It gracefully recedes into the background, allowing the sea, mountains, and light to reveal their full beauty. This philosophy, born on the Setouchi islands, continues deep into the heart of Shikoku—in the mountain town of Yusuhara, where nature and architecture exist as a single whole.

 

This journey invites you to discover the creative world of Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, and Tadao Ando—three masters who have defined the face of contemporary Japanese architecture. On the Setouchi islands, you will see spaces where the sea becomes part of the architectural composition, while in Yusuhara you will encounter Kengo Kuma’s works, where wood, light, and the mountain landscape form a single living space. Each stop reveals a unique facet of Japanese architecture—an art that does not seek to change nature, but rather makes it even more expressive.

 

Your home during this journey will be Setouchi Retreat Aonagi by Onko Chishin—an exclusive boutique hotel with just seven suites, created by Tadao Ando through the transformation of a former art museum. Here, minimalist architecture dissolves into the endless vistas of the Seto Inland Sea, creating an atmosphere of absolute tranquility.

 

An infinity pool seemingly merging with the horizon, hot springs with their own thermal waters, and exquisite Japanese cuisine inspired by the seasonal bounty of Setouchi turn your stay into a continuation of the architectural experience. Here, time slows down, allowing you to fully embrace the philosophy of space, light, and silence.

 

Day 1

Matsuyama Airport → Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture → Tokoro Museum Omishima → lunch on Omishima Island → Kirosan Observatory → Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum (arch. Tadao Ando) → Setouchi Retreat Aonagi

Day 2

Hotel → Yusuhara Town Hall → Machi-no-Eki Yusuhara → lunch → Gallery on the Cloud → Library on the Cloud (YURURI Yusuhara — exterior viewing) → Setouchi Retreat Aonagi

Day 3

After breakfast—private transfer to Matsuyama Airport (about 50 minutes) or continue your journey through Shikoku Island

 

This journey is not simply an introduction to outstanding works of contemporary architecture. It is an opportunity to see Japan through the eyes of its greatest architects and to feel how nature, light, and space become a single work of art.

Key Features

  1. Setouchi Retreat Aonagi is a seven-suite hotel designed by Tadao Ando — The museum, revived according to a project by Tadao Ando, offers accommodation in suites of over 100 square meters. Natural thermal springs and Japanese cuisine based on local ingredients turn your stay into the very purpose of the journey.
  2. The Toyo Ito Museum is a black polyhedron embodying the architect’s philosophy. — Opened in 2011 on Omishima Island as Japan’s first architectural museum, it consists of the Steel Pavilion, showcasing works by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, and the Silver Pavilion—a reconstruction of his own residence.
  3. Tokoro Museum Omishima — A private museum of contemporary sculpture, open to the sea — The private museum opened in 2004. Works by artists such as Marisol and Tom Wesselmann are displayed in galleries along the hillside, while a picturesque panorama of the islands of the Seto Inland Sea unfolds beyond the terrace.
  4. Kiroyama Observatory — “The Invisible Observatory” by Kengo Kuma — Kengo Kuma's 1994 observatory disappears into the mountainside, its concealed platform opening onto a sweeping view of the Shimanami Kaido — suspension bridges arcing across the island-scattered Seto Inland Sea.
  5. The Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum is a triangle created by Tadao Ando at the foot of Shiroyama. — Opened in 2007, this museum was designed by Tadao Ando. With a triangular layout and floating staircases, it traces the development of Meiji-era Japan through the heroes of Ryotaro Shiba’s work “Saka no Ue no Kumo.”
  6. Yusuhara — the city that became the birthplace of Kengo Kuma’s wooden architecture — In the city of Yusuhara, Kochi Prefecture, there are six wooden architectural structures by Kengo Kuma, including the town hall. Since his arrival in this mountain village in 1987, Kuma has continued to call this place his "origin."

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