It was really unfortunate that ferry and art site schedules for some islands were disrupted by stormy weather this last weekend. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.

April 8, Sunday, marked the halfway point of the Spring Season. All in all, the festival is off to an excellent start. We are excited by the response and deeply moved by the support we have received. Let me cite just a few examples. An elementary school student came all the way from Tokyo to serve as a Koebitai volunteer during spring break. A 2010 Koebitai member who had been posted to northeastern Japan returned to help run the festival. Members of the first executive committee are using their holidays to volunteer as guides, and members of the media have worked hard to publicize the Triennale. We are seeing far greater participation and enthusiasm from the islanders, and their enthusiasm is spreading. And, the Seto Inland Sea has for the most part been calm and gentle, accented by the beauty of the cherry blossoms and narcissus.

Preparations for the Summer and Autumn Seasons are gearing up on islands to the west of Takamatsu. Communities are getting ready to demonstrate local hospitality, a bus has been wrapped in art, and plans for evening walks through Kanonji are progressing well. The media is covering these developments as well.
Efforts on Shamijima have been particularly inspiring. I was touched by the comments of the chairman of the community associations of the five islands in this area. When speaking at the Artists’ Talk on March 30, he said, “There have been a lot of projects implemented in this area, one of which was the construction of the Seto Ohashi Bridge. We have worked hard to protect the Nakanda Swimming Beach, which is also a historical area. I think our efforts have paid off with this Triennale. It was great to have the fishermen from all five of islands, Hitsuishijima, Iwakurojima, Yoshima, Seijima, and Shamijima, collaborate on Knitting the Sky. I felt like this brought our islands closer together.”
Comments like these reconfirm the purpose of the Triennale.