Benesse Corporation and ITOKI have had a long-standing relationship, and the ITOKI team participating in this project handled the 2021 office renovation project.

(Project introduction article: https://workstyle.itoki.jp/case-studies/benesse)

And the ITOKI team in charge of Benesse Corporation!

Also participating were Public Relations Officer Ms.Kondo and CSR Promotion Officer Ms.Uehara, who also appeared during the summer session.

Let's start with the first day. Since it was a holiday, we thoroughly enjoyed authentic art appreciation. First, we had lunch near Takamatsu Station. When you think of Kagawa, you think of udon.

We immediately boarded the ferry and headed for Naoshima. What a lovely autumn day!

Art has already begun on board! The "Kagawa Egao Project 2022" is a project organized by NHK Takamatsu Broadcasting Station and MIMOCA (Marugame City Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Art) to weave through art the thoughts and inner voices of people living in the modern era, which is said to be a "once-in-a-century crisis." As part of this project, an event was held on board to collect various "faces" and "messages for the future," and we participated in it.

This work, which is engraved with photos and messages of smiling people, will move to Marugame City in November and will be exhibited at the MIMOCA Studio until December of this year. These encounters will also become fond memories.

As we walked, we came across Yayoi Kusama's "Red Pumpkin." We had arrived at Naoshima!

On to the "Red Pumpkin." It's hollow so you can put it inside.

After being greeted by the pumpkins, we immediately went to view the art on Naoshima. For the past three days, we were shown around the art by guides from the Fukutake Foundation and the Naoshima Cultural Village Tour Desk. We were able to appreciate the art more deeply by learning about the background of the works and the island.

The first place we visited was the Benesse House Museum. It is a facility that combines the functions of an art museum and a hotel, designed by Tadao Ando and opened in 1992 with the concept of "the coexistence of nature, architecture, and art."

Yoshihiro Suda's work "Weeds". Can you find where the weeds are? The more you look at it, the more it looks like a real leaf, but it's actually carved out of wood.

Next up is "Untitled" by Jannis Kounellis. What do these individual rolled objects look like? From a distance, they look soft, but when you get closer...!

I was surprised to see all kinds of things wrapped in lead sheets. It was a strange sensation, as if it made me question the value of things.

There are also many other site-specific works and artworks created by artists for this location on display. It's a museum that you should definitely take your time to appreciate.

Next we visited the Chichu Art Museum. Photography is not permitted inside the museum, so we will show you the view up to the entrance.

As its name suggests, the Chichu Art Museum is mostly buried underground so as not to spoil the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea.

Along the path from the ticket center to the museum, you will come across a beautiful garden called the "Underground Garden," which is made up of around 300 kinds of plants and trees, including water lilies, willows, and irises.

Does this garden seem familiar? Yes, it expresses the worldview of "Water Lilies," a work that Claude Monet painted in his later years. After imprinting the way the light shines on the pond in my mind, I was able to appreciate the painting "Water Lilies" on display in the museum even more deeply.
The artworks are designed to be viewed under natural light, and because the light changes with the movement of the sun, the way they look changes depending on the time of day and the season you visit. I'd like to visit in other seasons as well.

After dinner, we headed to Benesse House Park, the hotel where we would be staying for 3 days and 2 nights.

This building was also designed by Tadao Ando and is one of the few wooden buildings in the country. There are many artworks on display inside the building, so you'll naturally find yourself walking at a slower pace.

There was art on display in the room, and no TV. It was an environment that naturally allowed me to detox from the digital world. I enjoyed chatting with the people staying with me, or staring out the window. I felt that this was an important way to spend time for modern people who are usually busy working.

The first day of enjoying art has come to an end. On the second day, we will visit Inujima and Teshima.

The second day started with pleasant weather. This is the morning view from the terrace that I had been secretly looking forward to since last night. Behind the sea are the mountains of Shikoku. The scenery changes over time, which is also a highlight.

I wanted to see the pumpkins in the morning, so I set off for a morning walk.

While walking along the beach, I spotted two men doing radio calisthenics enthusiastically! I got closer and saw they were also ITOKI employees. Doing radio calisthenics in such a pleasant place. A great start to the day.

Art works are scattered across the lawn in front of Benesse House.

After breakfast, we headed towards Motomura Port, where we saw a cloud-like, artwork-like object appear. The cloud was the Naoshima Port Terminal designed by the architectural firm SANAA. (Inside it was a waiting room, toilets, and bicycle parking space.) At night, it was lit up, creating a completely different atmosphere.

From here, we board a small passenger boat!

Inujima was once home to over 6,000 people when copper smelting and quarrying were thriving, but now there are only about 50 people, most of whom are elderly. "I hope that by having university students and others visit the island to create art, the number of people connected to the island will gradually increase, leading to the revitalization of the island," says Kanehiro.

During the tour, Mr.Kanehiro had a fun conversation with an elderly man on the island, giving us a glimpse of their relationship. I felt that in order to continue an art project on the island, it is most important to gain the understanding of the islanders who live there, and that they value it.

At the Inujima Ticket Center, which has a bright "INUJIMA" sign, there is also a souvenir shop and a cafe.

Our first stop was the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum.

The museum was built under the concept of "making use of what exists and creating something that does not exist," and was designed by Hiroshi Sambuichi, using natural energy to reduce environmental impact. It does not use electricity, and instead utilizes the characteristics of karami bricks (bricks made from solidified waste generated during the refining of copper and other minerals) and chimneys to keep the museum comfortable all year round. We live in a world where we can adjust the temperature to be warm or cool with the flip of a switch, but this museum was a great learning experience that reminded me of the amazing power of nature.

Afterwards, we were given a tour of the Art House Project, which displays artworks in the island's villages, and for lunch we had sea bream rice made with fish from the Seto Inland Sea at the Inujima Ticket Center Cafe.

It is said that in the past, sea bream was eaten on Inujima at happy occasions such as weddings.

In the afternoon, we moved to Teshima. We stopped off at "Teshiba Espoir Park," which is run by a friend of Benesse Corporation. We took a break and enjoyed some Toshima lemon ice cream. This facility has a seminar room for accommodation and training, and can be used by individuals as well as groups, so it's a great place to consider if you're planning a workcation in Teshima.

The Teshima Art Museum, designed by artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa, is being built on a hill in Teshima Karato overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. A drop-shaped building was installed in a corner of the vast site, where a previously unused rice terrace was regenerated in collaboration with local residents. The moment you take off your shoes and step into the magnificent space without a single pillar, you will never forget the feeling of the air changing.

The rice terraces in front of the museum were also very beautiful. At one time, the cultivated area of these rice terraces had been reduced to one-tenth of what it was before. However, in order to protect the food abundance of the area, the people of Teshima and the local government came together to carry out the "Rice Terrace Project" in preparation for the 2009 Setouchi Triennale, and this beautiful scenery has been preserved.

The morning of the third day. The view from the terrace of each hotel room was truly beautiful. Working in such an extraordinary place made me feel like I was thinking more clearly than usual.

And then there's the mobile office car.

The mobile office car allows you to create an environment where you can work while moving around to various locations, so I once again realized that it is extremely convenient when doing workation as a team.

The interior of the car is designed for work, but it also looks like a camper. It would also be good for workcation combined with camping. I hope to try various ways to use it in the future.

Next, we will introduce ANDO MUSEUM, which Uemoto says is his top recommendation among all the places he has guided around Naoshima.

The exposed concrete space designed by Tadao Ando has breathed new life into the approximately 100-year-old wooden house that remains in the Honmura district. Past and present, wood and concrete, light and darkness. Opposing elements come together.

According to Uemoto, the highlight of the architecture is the beautiful concrete. It is a very difficult construction method, and ANDO MUSEUM is the culmination of his construction experience at Benesse House and Chichu Art Museum! It was a very impressive museum. We also enjoyed art appreciation at the Valley Gallery and Naoshima Art House Project until the very last moment of the time. For our last meal of the trip, we went to a restaurant where we could eat fish from the Seto Inland Sea.

After finishing our delicious meal, it was time to head home in an instant. I felt a sense of loneliness, but also a strong desire to work even harder now that I had recharged so much.

Here are some impressions from ITOKI members who participated in this workation! The workation experience has a positive impact on your mood, which can also be applied to your work.

"Just by changing from the somewhat hectic environment of Tokyo to a calm environment close to nature, I feel like I've been able to approach my work with a more positive attitude than usual."

"Changing the place and environment where I work allowed me to refresh my mind and body, which allowed me to think and come up with new ideas. I would like to continue doing workcations in various places in the future."

"I felt like I could work in a different environment to the concrete jungle of Tokyo, surrounded by nature and art in the Setouchi area. Time seemed to flow more slowly, and I felt like I was able to maintain a calm and composed state."

"It was my first time to fully appreciate art! It felt like a part of me that I don't use much in my everyday life or work was being stimulated. As I faced the artwork and pondered over it, I felt a strange sensation, as if I was having a conversation with myself without even realizing it. This trip made me feel like I want to be able to have this kind of time several times a year."

"Who you go with and where you go are important."

What I realized once again is that it is very important to design an experience that suits the purpose of the workation. Perhaps this workation in the Setouchi area, a place with both art and nature, will make it easier to think creatively. I will continue to investigate this!

I've mainly been using computers and tablets to work, but even while on the move, I was able to respond to calls on my smartphone, participate in online conferences, and have in-depth work-related meetings with other members. While there is a lot of work that can be done remotely, I felt that advance preparation required some ingenuity, so I'd like to utilize this experience in future workcations.

ITOKI will continue to try out new ways of working and share what we have learned from our real-life experiences!

The next issue will be the final report on the Setouchi Triennale 2022, covering the entire spring, summer and fall sessions. Please look forward to it!

[Introducing] MOOW, the mobile office car

Although it is different from the specifications that will be loaned out to the Setouchi Triennale, the mobile office car MOOW, which was produced in collaboration with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in April, is scheduled to go on sale at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. dealerships within this fiscal year.

https://www.itoki.info/products/creativework/moow/