Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

WINTER/SPRING 2019 DREAMSCAPES 13 OPPOSITE TOP: View of Mt. Hachijo-Fuji. BELOW: Pumpkins at the Yayoi Kusama Museum. BOTTOM RIGHT: Sushi Darihan at Yoyogi in Tokyo. times before, we set out for Shinjuku to see the Yayoi Kusama Museum, a showcase of the avant-garde artist's work. The "infinity mirror" room features what Kusama calls "my beloved pumpkins," and after some reflection, guests can pose with one of the pumpkins while abiding by Kusama's plea to "unearth your own way of living life." With avant-garde on our minds, we headed to Odaiba to view the Epson teamLab Borderless exhibit. This uniquely interactive sensory encounter challenges visitors to wander, explore and discover as they find themselves bedazzled by an explosion of colour, where images of sun- flowers appear before you, cartoon frogs hop across the floor, and vibrant butterflies, birds and blue whales flutter and dance on the walls. It's one of those attractions that you have to experience to believe. OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Experience and interaction with a destina- tion are definitely a call to action for many travellers, and Tokyo's islands offer an oppor- tunity to venture off the beaten track. A one-hour flight from Haneda Airport took us to Hachijojima in Tokyo's Izu Island chain. Hachijojima was created when two sepa- rate volcanic islands merged. Today, Mt. Mihara occupies one end of the 69-square- kilometre island while Mt. Hachijo-Fuji (which resembles the conical shape of Mt. Fuji) sits on the other end. The vistas from the panoramic lookouts are photo-spectacular and include the small uninhabited island of Hachijokojima, a nesting ground for the black-footed albatross and a prime fishing location for local fishermen and tourists. Conversations with Hachijojima resi- dents reveal their historic ties to the island. Miki-san owns the popular Kominka Kissa Nakanosato café, located on land settled by her great-grandfather 164 years ago. Homare Yamashita, a traditional textile maker, proudly took us into his home to show us three Buddha statues given to his ancestors on the island over 300 years before. We chatted with Kiyomitsu Okayama, a personable third-generation shochu dis- tiller, and we visited the factory where Sadae Nishihama and her sister carry on the 100-year-old family trade of producing "stinky fish," or kusaya, a pungent island specialty. Shoji Hosaya, an island historian, related stories of some of the colourful characters exiled to Hachijojima in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, while Kunihito Kikuchi

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