Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
21-29 October 2023 JAPAN
Itinerary
We are pleased to share further details about the FAMSF Trip to Japan in October 2023.
The trip will take place from the evening of Saturday 21 October to the morning of Sunday 29 October 2023. Over this time, the group will discover the vibrant art scenes in Tokyo, Naoshima and Kyoto. We will explore key galleries, museums and art spaces and we will meet with artists. Lunches and dinners will be arranged for the group throughout the duration of the trip.
Thank you as always for your continued support.
DAY 1
Saturday, October 21: Arrivals
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Arrivals
Individual arrivals and guests’ transfers to hotel in Tokyo
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Check In
Check in at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
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Late-afternoon
Welcome drinks with collector Takeo Obayashi at his home.
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Dinner
Sukiyaki dinner at restaurant Jyuniten.
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Overnight
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
Takeo Obayashi
Chairman of the Obayashi Corporation, a Japanese construction conglomerate, Takeo Obayashi is known in the art world for commissioning a Tadao Ando–designed space in Tokyo, where he shows his collection of contemporary art. At the house, you can see works by Daniel Buren, Tracey Emin, Mike Kelley, Yayoi Kusama, and Marc Quinn, as well as site-specific installations by artists such as Olafur Eliasson.
DAY 2
Sunday, October 22: Tokyo
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Morning
Bullet train to Odawara for an exclusive visit to Enoura Observatory by Hiroshi Sugimoto.
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Late morning
Welcome by the director Tokugo Uchida followed by a visit of the Miwa Kyūsetsu XIII exhibition at MOA.
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Lunch
Soba lunch at the MOA Museum.
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Afternoon
Bullet train to Tokyo for some time at leisure in Ginza.
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Late-afternoon
Private after-hour visit to Sumidagawa Hokusai Museum.
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Dinner
Dinner at Suigian restaurant where we will enjoy a meal and show.
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Overnight
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
Enoura Observatory by Hiroshi Sugimoto
Enoura Observatory overlooks Sagami Bay in Odawara . Founded in 2017 by the Odawara Art Foundation, which was established by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, this complex was built to show visitors the essence of Japanese culture. This spot is perfect for those with a love of art and architecture.
DAY 3
Monday, October 23: Tokyo
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Morning
Private visit to the Shueisha Publishing House with editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump, Mr Hiroyuki Nakano.
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Late-morning
Guided visit of the Kanda Myojin shrine.
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Lunch
Lunch at a local Japanese restaurant.
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Afternoon
Visit to the home of a private collector.
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Late afternoon
Optional visit to teamLab Planets.
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Dinner
Talk and cocktails with National Living Treasure, Kazumi Morse at the International House followed by dinner.
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Overnight
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
Kanda Myojin Shrine
Kanda Myojin Shrine is one of Tokyo’s most historically important shrines. It also happens to host one of Japan’s three great festivals, and has a gorgeously decorated shrine gate, making it a must-visit when you’re in the area. Founded in 730, Kanda Myojin Shrine has at present a history of almost 1300 years, making it one of Tokyo’s oldest shrines. Most people visit the shrine to pray for prosperity and marriage, mostly because Kanda Myojin Shrine enshrines Daikokuten and Ebisu, the god of good harvest and matrimony, and fishermen and businessmen respectively.
teamLab Planets
teamLab are Japan’s most high-profile collective of digital artists and creators; they’re a self-described “interdisciplinary group of ultratechnologists whose collaborative practice seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, design and the natural world.”
The enigmatic group, which formed in 2001, is made up of creative specialists, including artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects, who together craft boundary-pushing digital art experiences.
Over the past two decades, they’ve created plenty of temporary works, but it was in 2018 that they captured the attention of the art world in a big way by opening teamLab Planets, an immersive art museum and follow-up to the now-closed exhibition Borderless and the very much still-open teamLab Acorn Forest in Saitama.
Kazumi Murose
Kazumi Murose studied and learnt urushi arts at the Fine Arts Research Department, Tokyo University of Arts, where he also obtained his Master’s degree in 1976. At university, he studied under the then master and National Living Treasure of maki-e, Matsuda Gonroku, as well as Gonroku’s disciple, Taguchi Yoshikuni. Murose is a master of the maki-e technique, using it to create highly refined modern designs. While his technique is deeply rooted in the millennial urushi tradition, Murose explores and bridges the technique with the modern world through constant development of designs and personal style. He has also worked extensively both in Japan and abroad on the restoration of urushi works.
DAY 4
Tuesday, October 24: Tokyo
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Morning
Visit to the The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing
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Late morning
Visit to the Nezu Museum garden followed by an architectural tour of Omotesando with an architect.
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Lunch
Lunch at Sasha Kanetanaka
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Afternoon
Afternoon at leisure to explore the Omotesando area which has many shops and galleries.
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Dinner
Private guided tour of the Mori Art Museum followed by dinner at The Oak Door.
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Overnight
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing
The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing was established in 1994 with the objective of contributing to the development of Japan’s arts and culture by promoting and preserving traditional woodcut printing techniques through research and other activities, supporting and cultivating artisans, and delivering the results of such activities to the public. The foundation was approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and established under the jurisdiction of the Cultural Properties Protection Department of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Mori Art Museum
This Museum’s exhibitions are world-class, and focus mainly on contemporary culture, Exhibitions are deliberately varied, with past offerings including Bill Viola’s video art, a survey of the Middle Eastern art world and the periodic Roppongi Crossing group shows for Japanese artists.
DAY 5
Wednesday, October 25: Tokyo - Naoshima
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Morning
Travel by bullet train and private boat to Naoshima Island, Japan’s mecca of contemporary art
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Lunch
Lunch en route to Naoshima
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Afternoon
On arrival at Naoshima Island we will be split to visit the most important sites, including Lee Ufan Museum, Chichu Museum and Art House Project
Lee Ufan Museum
Lee Ufan was one of the leading figures of the Mono-ha school (School of Things), a contemporary art movement emerging in the late 1960s. Lee’s works in the museum include two-dimensional paintings featuring repetitive brushstrokes laid down with the rhythm of quiet breathing and sculptures that organically combine stones and steel plates, in which the artist’s interventions are reduced to the bare minimum.
Chichu Museum
Chichu Art Museum was constructed in 2004 as a site rethinking the relationship between nature and people. The museum was built mostly underground to avoid affecting the beautiful natural scenery of the Seto Inland sea. Artworks by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria are on permanent display in this building designed by Tadao Ando.
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Dinner
Private evening viewing of the James Turrell in the Chichu museum followed by dinner at Issen restaurant
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Overnight
Benesse House, Naoshima
Art House Project
The Art House Project is an art project underway in Naoshima’s Honmura district. It began in 1998 with Kadoya, and currently comprises seven locations: Kadoya, Minamidera, Kinza, Go’o Shrine, Ishibashi, Gokaisho, and Haisha. In this project, artists take empty houses scattered about residential areas and turn the spaces themselves into works of art, weaving in history and memories of the period when the buildings were lived in and used.
DAY 6
Thursday, October 26: Naoshima
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Morning
Continue to explore the islands and take a private ferry to Teshima and Inujima islands within the national park of the Seto Inland Sea. Highlights include “Les Archives du Coeur” by Christian Boltanski, and the Teshima Art Museum, one of the most intriguing contemporary artworks in Japan
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Lunch
Lunch at Shima Kitchen
Teshima Art Museum
Teshima Art Museum stands on a hill on Teshima island, overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. The droplet-shaped architecture was designed by Ryue Nishizawa. The building consists of a concrete shell, devoid of pillars, coving a space 40 by 60 meters and with a maximum height of 4.5 meters. Two oval openings in the shell allow wind, sound, and light from outside into this organic space where nature and architecture interconnect.
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Afternoon
Visit to the Seirensho Art Museum and Art House Project
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Dinner
Pre-dinner visit of the collection at Benesse House Museum, followed by dinner at the world-renowned Etoile de la Mer, with magnificent views of the sea
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Overnight
Benesse House, Naoshima
Les Archives du Coeur
“Les Archives du Cœur”, by Christian Boltanski, permanently houses recordings of the heartbeats of people throughout the world. Christian Boltanski has been recording these heartbeats since 2008. Les Archives du Cœur is a testament to the recordees’ existence.
DAY 7
Friday, October 27: Naoshima - Kyoto
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Morning
Final visits in Naoshima include visits to the Benesse House Museum and the Naoshima Bath.
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Late morning
Travel by private boat and bullet train to Kyoto
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Lunch
Lunch served on the train.
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Afternoon
Afternoon visit to the studio of artist Kohei Nawa at Sandwich before transferring to the Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, to check-in.
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Dinner
Dinner at the Japanese restaurant, Kaiseki Mizuki at the Ritz Carlton.
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Overnight
Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
Benesse House Museum
Benesse House Museum opened in 1992 as a facility integrating a museum with a hotel, based on the concept of “coexistence of nature, art and architecture.” Designed by Tadao Ando, the facility is built on high ground overlooking the Seto Inland Sea and features large apertures that serve to open up the interior to the splendid natural surroundings.
DAY 8
Saturday, October 28: Kyoto
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Morning
Early morning visit to the Kyoto National Museum for a welcome by director Matsumoto Nobuyuki and talk with Melissa Rinne, the exhibition curator. The talk will be followed by a visit at leisure of the Tofuku-ji exhibition.
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Late Morning
Guided visit of the Sanjusagendo Temple.
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Lunch
Lunch at Yaoichi.
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Afternoon
Guided visit of the Tofuki-ji temple
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Evening
Scenic walk from Kiyomizu-dera temple and stop at a rooftop bar K36 for an aperitif.
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Dinner
Dinner at Takeshigero with Geisha performance.
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Overnight
Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
Geisha Performance
As keenly associated with Japan’s ancient capital as swords are with samurai, the beautiful geisha (or geiko) of Kyoto are among the most sought-after sights of any visitor. While there are countless girls walking the streets of Gion dressed in kimono and make-up, they are seldom the real deal. They may look the part from afar and happily pose for photographs, but once you’ve seen a genuine geisha, you’ll understand the difference.
DAY 9
Sunday, October 29: Departures
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Morning
Individual departures from Kyoto
*Please note that this programme will be subject to change.
