Jeffrey Friedl's Blog » First Look at the Ultra Modern (as in “Modern Art”) Benesse House Museum Hotel

First Look at the Ultra Modern (as in “Modern Art”) Benesse House Museum Hotel

by Jeffrey Friedl Fri, October 26th, 2012 11:00pm JST (11 years, 6 months ago)

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Heading To Naoshima between 直島 and 宇野市 -- Tamano, Okayama, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Heading To Naoshima
between 直島 and 宇野市

We're on a three-day weekend trip to Naoshima (直島), an island just off the coast of Okayama, about four hours' drive south-west from Kyoto.

Long Trip start to finish the ferry ride was 15 minutes -- Tamano, Okayama, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Long Trip
start to finish the ferry ride was 15 minutes

Wake -- Tamano, Okayama, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28mm — ¹/160 sec, f/11, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wake

Settling In at Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos
Settling In
at Benesse House

We're staying at Benesse House, a modern-art museum and hotel.

The Room -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Room

The View -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 28mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 140 — map & image data — nearby photos
The View

The Sunset -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Sunset

desktop background image of a dusky sunset over Japan -- The Bridge The Great Seto Bridge, 17km Distant -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Bridge
The Great Seto Bridge, 17km Distant

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That bridge is the subject of this post from a year and a half ago.

The hotel doubles as a modern-art museum. Modern art is not my cup of tea at all, but this place feels more like I'm in a video game (Doom, circa 20 years ago), so it's actually fun.

Stark Very, very , very stark hallway -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stark
Very, very , very stark hallway

Positively Gaudy by relative comparison -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Positively Gaudy
by relative comparison

desktop background image of the approach to the Hotel Lounge, at Benesse House, Naoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. -- Approach to the Hotel Lounge the left two orange panels are the door -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Approach to the Hotel Lounge
the left two orange panels are the door

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Looking for the Lounge -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looking for the Lounge

The Lounge Hours later, I'm sitting here trying to get this post done before it closes at 11pm and I lose connectivity -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Lounge
Hours later, I'm sitting here trying to get this post done before it closes at 11pm and I lose connectivity

desktop background image of an art installation at Benesse House, Naoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan -- Art -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/20 sec, f/2.5, ISO 10000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Art

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Outside the Lounge -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.4, ISO 7200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Outside the Lounge

Hide and Seek at the Big Squash -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/15 sec, f/1.4, ISO 10000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hide and Seek
at the Big Squash

Apparently, the Big Squash is a famous landmark. You can see it jutting from the shore in “The View” above.

Big Squash at 10k ISO -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/13 sec, f/1.8, ISO 10000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Big Squash
at 10k ISO

Dinner -- Benesse House -- Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan -- Copyright 2012 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — ¹/50 sec, f/1.6, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dinner

Most of these shots at the hotel were while making our first stroll in the dark... I'm sure it'll look different (and I'll have higher-quality photo) tomorrow in the daylight.

Continued here...

June	1st,	2011	While Crossing the Great Seto Bridge
October	28th,	2012	A Few Shots From Day Two at Benesse House
October	31st,	2012	Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri 2012, #2
November	13th,	2012	Last Day on Naoshima
April	1st,	2015	Happy 10th Anniversary to My Blog

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All 6 comments so far, oldest first...

‘Art’ is nice 😉

— comment by Nicolas on October 26th, 2012 at 11:40pm JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink

Nice, interesting venue. I’m impressed with the hotel’s “style”.
Very remarkable picture you called “Art”! Great composition. Definitely something you might want to consider printing out in large.

Enjoy your stay.

— comment by Andy on October 27th, 2012 at 2:24am JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink

Oh, you went to Naoshima?
I just went there a few weeks ago, too!
Great shots! Thanks for sharing 🙂

— comment by zoomingjapan on October 27th, 2012 at 11:54am JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink

Very nice ! Will make a note of that for a stay the next time I/we are in Japan.

— comment by Bob Barlow on October 27th, 2012 at 10:19pm JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink

I’m rather impressed with the one called “art” too.
Can’t wait for daylight and more Art!
And I am jealous that you are staying in such a totally-very cool venue. So am hoping you will post a lot of pictures so I can imagine staying there myself.
#
Annie 🙂

— comment by Annie in London on October 28th, 2012 at 7:15am JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink

Just a quick question – does this hotel have disabled facilities in any of its rooms…? I’ve looked on the website and they are happy to lend you a wheelchair but there is nothing else about disabled guest facilities. Did you see any wheelchair bound folks during your stay?
Annie

I asked as I checked out… yes, they have full support. —Jeffrey

— comment by Annie in London on October 28th, 2012 at 7:27am JST (11 years, 6 months ago) — comment permalink