Takamatsu — the birthplace of Aji stone
A journey tracing modern architecture and art through stone and light.
- Duration: 8 hours (start at 9:30)
- Price: On request
- Departure: Departure and arrival at hotels in Takamatsu
Overview
The Seto Inland Sea is a place where Japan’s greatest architects and sculptors have engaged in a quiet dialogue with nature for decades. Amid tranquil waters, scattered islands, and the gentle light of Setouchi, architecture never seeks to dominate the landscape. On the contrary, it becomes a natural extension of it, uniting stone, light, wind, and time into a single artistic space.
This tour invites you to discover Setouchi through the works of outstanding masters of contemporary Japanese art and architecture. The first stop is the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum—a studio and garden of the world-renowned sculptor Isamu Noguchi, where for nearly twenty years he created his works from the famous Aji granite, quarried in the vicinity of Mure. The atmosphere of this place still preserves the spirit of the artist’s creativity and allows you to see the space exactly as he envisioned it.
The journey continues at Ritsurin Garden—one of Japan’s most exquisite daimyo gardens, created over more than a century. Strolling among ponds, bridges, and centuries-old pines, you will sense the harmony between nature and humanity that has been at the heart of Japanese aesthetics for centuries. From the historic tea pavilion Kikugetsu-tei, one of the garden’s most famous views unfolds.
After lunch, you will visit the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA), designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, creator of the new MoMA building in New York. Galleries filled with natural light provide the perfect setting to discover the works of Genichiro Inokuma and outstanding pieces of contemporary art.
The day concludes with a visit to the East Wing of the Kagawa Prefectural Government Office—one of the main works of Kenzo Tange, recognized as a masterpiece of postwar Japanese modernism. Here, traditional Japanese spatial philosophy merges with contemporary architecture, creating a building that is still considered one of the symbols of twentieth-century Japanese architecture.
This journey is more than an introduction to museums and architecture. It is an opportunity to see how, in Setouchi, art is born from the landscape itself, and architecture becomes an extension of nature, preserving the unique spirit of the region.
Itinerary:
Hotel in Takamatsu City → Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum → Ritsurin Garden (Kikugetsu-tei) → Lunch → Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA) → Kagawa Prefectural Government Office East Wing → Hotel in Takamatsu City
Key Features
- Isamu Noguchi Museum — In 1969, Noguchi established his studio here, and for the next 20 years worked between Japan and New York. The museum opened in 1999. The studio, residence, and garden have been preserved as a single entity.
- Ritsurin Garden — The garden was founded by Matsudaira Yorisige in 1642 and completed more than a century later, in 1745. With its ponds and artificial hills, it is the only site in the Shikoku region to be awarded the status of Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
- Tea House — The sukiya-style pavilion, built at the beginning of the Edo period, overlooks a picturesque pond and for centuries served as a place of rest for the rulers of the domain. Today, guests are welcomed with a bowl of traditional tea.
- Marugame Museum — Opened in November 1991. Designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. The museum houses around 20,000 works, and at the entrance on Gate Plaza, the fresco "Square of Creativity" is on display.
- The pinnacle of modernism — Designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1958. In 2022, the building was recognized as a National Important Cultural Property. In the lobby, there is a fresco titled "Wakei Seijaku" by Genichiro Inokuma.
- NAGARE STUDIO (Option) — The residence and atelier where sculptor Masayuki Nagare lived. Approximately 150 works are exhibited on the 20,000 m² grounds, and the brick building is the only architectural work created by Nagare.
Continue with VIP ACCESS
The day-by-day itinerary, the timetable and the names of the shops and workshops we visit are available to VIP ACCESS members.