The Setouchi region really is one that is full of surprises. About a dozen years ago here in Kagawa there was a dream to do something about the aging of the prefecture, and the exodus of young people leaving for Tokyo, Osaka, and the big cities of mainland Japan. Someone, in a moment of brilliance (although probably not thought so as brilliant at the time…) thought that it would be ART to bring life and energy back to the region.
It was such a wild idea that it might actually work….
And then it did.
The Setouchi Triennial is held every three years, and each time it gets bigger, wider, and draws more and more people in from all over the world. Picked up in major publications in Europe and North America the Setouchi Art Festival is highlighted as one of THE places people ought to visit for 2019.
Here is a cool background video on the people who are behind the scenes of this unbelievable and truly beautiful project.