Businessman's mission to revive Japan's Seto Inland Sea
A Japanese businessman's 25-year quest to reverse the declining fortunes of the Seto Inland Sea has given rise to a unique artistic community, writes Julian Ryall
Twenty-five years ago, Japan's Seto Inland Sea was little more than a series of deforested islands that had been ruined by unchecked industrialisation and illegal waste dumping.
The environmental damage was reflected in the residents of the islands; young people were abandoning their homes in search of work and a better life. Those who were obliged to stay lived in dilapidated houses.
That changed in the summer that businessman Soichiro Fukutake sailed through the islands.
Twenty-five years later the islands are hosting the second Setouchi Triennale, an art event held in the summer and autumn. The chairman of publishing and education company Benesse and a confirmed urban dweller, Fukutake says that his journey through the islands of the Inland Sea completely changed his perspective on daily life and Japanese society.
I thought it was just an impossible dream that would never become reality
"It is easy to conclude that there are many wonderful things to see and do in big metropolises like Tokyo. But I also realised that, although people live in cities, they are not always happy there," he says. "Happiness cannot be achieved in that competitive society.