Inujima Island

Inujima (����, literally: "dog island") is a small island off Okayama in the Seto Inland Sea that is named after a large rock resembling a sitting dog. Like nearby Naoshima Island, Inujima has become known as a site for contemporary art and serves as a venue of the Setouchi Triennale modern art festival. Due to its small size, the peaceful island can be explored entirely on foot.

Before turning to contemporary art, Inujima was mostly an industrial site. During the feudal age it produced granite blocks for castle construction, and in the early 20th century a copper refinery was supposed to bring prosperity and people to the island. However, copper prices plummeted within ten years of the refinery's opening and led to its premature closure and a drop in the island's population.

The refinery was not demolished after its closure, and despite being out of business for over a century, its ruins still characterize Inujima's landscape. Designated as a "heritage of industrial modernization", the ruins with their exposed brick walls, overgrown power plant and crumbling smokestacks can now be explored by tourists.

In 2008, the refinery ruins were converted into the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum ("seirensho" is Japanese for "refinery") by tastefully incorporating an art gallery into the ruins. The gallery is located mostly underground and uses local materials such as granite and discarded bricks from the refinery. Among the small number of artworks on display are an intriguing tunnel of mirrors and a tribute to the late novelist Mishima Yukio, which consists of pieces of Mishima's former residence suspended in midair.

The art museum can be visited only on guided tours lasting about 45 minutes, offered every 60-90 minutes. Tours are conducted in Japanese, with English written material available, and depart from the Inujima Ticket Center next to the ferry terminal. Advance online reservations are recommended, although same-day tickets are available if spaces remain. The outdoor grounds of the former refinery can be explored independently.

The rest of Inujima is occupied by a small rural village, which is home to only a few dozen people. Scattered across the peaceful village are the five galleries of the Inujima Art House Project which were built for past art festivals and have become permanent attractions on the island. They can all be explored in a pleasant 1-2 hour walk through the village's narrow lanes.

Dining, shopping and lodging options are highly limited on the island. A couple of small restaurants are found in the proximity of the port, including a cafe inside the Inujima Ticket Center. A seaside campground is found on the opposite side of the island, about a ten minute walk from the ferry terminal.