Do you believe in the positive power of art? Whether your answer is ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Naoshima is a small, remote island in the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan awaiting your visit. It is not only an oasis of natural peace and beauty, but also an island of art. In fact, Naoshima is a place like nowhere else.

Tetsuhiko Fukutake, founder of Fukutake Publishing Co. in 1955, established the Fukutake Collection in 1971 and began exhibiting fine art throughout the company’s offices in 1979. On the death of the elder Fukutake, Soichiro Fukutake continued his father’s mission and helped to create cultural and educational districts on Naoshima island with the ideal that “a good community makes a good country and good culture,” and the culturaleconomic theory that “economy is a servant to culture” –a plea to use corporate profits responsibly. Following the request of the mayor of Naoshima Town, the year 1989 saw the opening of the Naoshima International Camping Ground, an area set aside for schoolchildren to camp, in a pure, natural setting. In harmony with the company’s name change to Benesse (“to live well”, derived from Latin bene esse) in 1995, its continued efforts to promote art, heritage and nature have resulted in a unique ‘art site’ comprising museums, site-specific artworks, lodging and dining amid an unparalleled natural setting. Before traveling to Naoshima for a spiritual retreat this book is an invitation to prepare yourself to think about “living well”.

Many buildings, new or rehabilitated, are now dedicated to contemporary art installations and collections: The Benesse House Oval, the Naoshima Bath, Lee Ufan Museum, the Art House Project, and the Chichu Art Museum, an amazing underground (Chichu means underground) place designed by architect Tadao Ando, Japan’s national living treasure.