Travelers who like peace can go to the Japanese island of Naoshima. There is the Benesse House – a museum of contemporary art. You can stay overnight in it. It is also a hotel.

Soichiro Fukutake, the owner of the Japanese educational company «Benesse Art Site», decided to turn Naoshima into an island of contemporary art. He invited architect Tadao Ando to design the projects.
Benesse was opened in 1992. Three years later, a second building, an oval-shaped hall, was constructed on the island. It is also called the Oval. The central part of its roof is missing, the resulting circle is located above the circular pool. The Oval is connected to the hotel along the perimeter of the building, around the pool, there are also six guest rooms.

In 2006, two more buildings were opened on the island to accommodate guests: the Beach and the Park. Rooms are furnished in minimalist style: few pieces of furniture, light-colored interiors, large windows with views of the Seto Inland Sea. Each of the hotel's 16 apartments features paintings by famous artists.

The main concept of the Benesse Museum is the fusion of art, architecture, and nature. Tadao Ando did a great job. The buildings of the museum complex fit perfectly into the landscape design of the area. The walls are made of natural stone, the grounds and terraces are not out of place in the landscape design of the island.

It is a great place for romantics and philosophers. Away from the hustle and bustle, there is an opportunity to reflect well on important things, to get closer to contemporary art. There are sculptures and installations, hanging pictures and photographs in different corners of the house-museum. Some of the objects were created especially for this island. Art objects can be found even on the beach, which borders the complex. Works of art are also placed in the nearby forest. Benesse visitors are free to decide which of these can be called a masterpiece.

Naoshima Island is located 13 kilometers from Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture and 3 kilometers south of Tamano, Okayama Prefecture. You can get to Benesse from the main islands of Japan by ferry.

The museum part of the Benesse Art Site is located underground. It's not even clear from the outside that it's a building. The architect did not look for easy ways in anything. To place a painting by Claude Monet in a dignified and beautiful manner, natural light was created in one of the exhibition halls. The room was made white. The architect did not use direct sunlight, decided to limit the reflection of the hall itself. The picture frames and floor were put together in the form of a mosaic of white marble, the pieces of which sized 2 by 2 centimeters. It took 70,000 of these parts to cover the floor.