Japan | Ogijima Island of Jumping Island Art Play

Megijima and Ogijima are also known as the Shizojima and Shizojima Islands. Megujima has the nickname of Onigashima, but Mengijima does not. Ogijima is a small island full of human touch and wild cats. The best way to get to know an island in depth is of course to live on it. I chose to stay on Ogijima that night to see another side of Ogijima. Many travel guides to Setouchi recommend staying in Takamatsu and then visiting different islands every day to view art. However, many boat trips and exhibitions are only open from morning to dusk. Especially Megijima and Ogijima, two smaller islands that do not have many works of art. Art festival staff usually arrive on the island on the earliest flight at eight o'clock, followed by tourists, and a busy day on the island begins. I chose another way to visit Ogijima. As the afternoon boat arrived, I first dropped off my luggage at the B&B. It was almost three in the afternoon, and then I went on to visit the various art installations without stopping. Like many tourists, I followed the official route through the narrow alleys of Ogijima. Due to time constraints, I could only view the works in a hurry. It was a bit like collecting stamps in order to fill up my art festival passport. I didn't have much time to appreciate them carefully. All art installations close at 4:15 pm. I rushed to reach all the art works before they closed, but in the end I was unable to enter two or three of them. It was a bit of a lack, but that's the imperfection in life. As the volunteers left, the works in each room were also closed. Volunteers and tourists wait for the last flight to leave Ogijima at 5 o'clock. After five o'clock, the island returned to tranquility. There was no art festival, no tourists, and only dozens of residents left on the island. After enjoying the sunset, I returned to the dock and found several islanders sitting together drinking beer. They looked at me and of course recognized me as a tourist at first glance, so they said in a friendly manner, "Kon ni chi wa!" followed by a bunch of Japanese. Although I didn't understand them, they were all very friendly. When I got back to the B&B, I was extremely tired and planned to take a rest, but the B&B owner knocked on the door and said that it was time for dinner! The owner of the B&B is an octopus fisherman who specializes in catching and cooking octopuses. This seafood dinner is really amazing, with octopus rice, sashimi, snail meat, clam soup, and the most delicious secret fried fish! After traveling to two islands in one day, I was exhausted. This meal gave me a boost of energy! During dinner, the boss knew that I didn't understand Japanese, so he tried hard to find other Japanese who knew English or Chinese to tell me something. It turned out that he kept calling other Japanese in Japanese to tell me that the night view of the pier installation art "Soul of Ogijima" was very beautiful, and asked me to go take pictures, and said he could accompany me. The boss's kindness gave me strength even though I was extremely tired, and I followed him out of the dock. The next morning, after packing, the landlady had already prepared breakfast. At this time, the boss showed me his magazine interview. His octopus dishes were once introduced in the magazine. This is his lifelong career in Ogijima! After thanking the boss and his wife, we prepared to set off for the next island. When I left the B&B, the boss kept saying bye bye to me at the door, and every time I looked back he was still standing there. I believe this kind of human touch can only be found in this small island fishing village. #OverseasTravel #Japan #ArtTravel #SetouchiInlandSea #SetouchiTriennale