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Ocean Gaia, an underwater sculpture lying on the seabed

Tours are planned to go on sale in April 2027.

Tokunoshima, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage island
Ocean Gaia, Japan’s first underwater sculpture

A sculpture that keeps changing.
The artist gave it form; the sea completes it over time.
What you see today is only for today.

Get the Art Passport (free) See the tours

In the sea of Tokunoshima, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage island, lies Ocean Gaia, an underwater sculpture by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor.
On our tours, you go out by boat with a guide, see the sculpture while snorkelling, and get to know the island’s forests, food and way of life.
After your trip, the Art Passport lets you keep following the sea around the sculpture.

Ocean Gaia (2025) by Jason deCaires Taylor

( OCEAN GAIA )

What isOcean Gaia?

Placed in the sea, the sculpture slowly changes as seaweed, shells and small creatures settle on it over time. The artist gave it form, and the sea completes it over time. We keep recording these changes in photos and video.

Artist
Jason deCaires Taylor (UK)
Location
Off Inokawa, Tokunoshima Town, Kagoshima Prefecture
Depth
5–7 m
Installed
14 October 2025

Japan’s first underwater sculpture

  • Close-up of the face of Ocean Gaia
  • A free diver swimming above Ocean Gaia in the sunlit sea
  • Ocean Gaia with a school of fish and a diver
  • Ocean Gaia lying on the seabed

Ocean Gaia (2025) by Jason deCaires Taylor

( YOUR ART PASSPORT )

Keep watching over the sea after your trip.Art Passport

The Art Passport is a digital pass that records your experience on Tokunoshima and lets you keep following the sea around the sculpture after your trip. No app needed: it opens in your phone’s browser.

Art Passport screen (image)

Freeuntil end of
March 2027

  • Feature 01

    Get to know the work

    Read about the sculpture, the artist and how the work came to be.

  • Feature 02

    See the sea change

    We update photos and videos of the sea around the sculpture about every two months, and also after typhoons and similar events.

  • Feature 03

    Record your journey

    When you join a tour, you receive a dated stamp and can compare the sea when you were there with the sea now (on tours from April 2027).

Get it free until
the end of March 2027

If you get your Art Passport by the end of March 2027, you can keep viewing the records after April 2027 for as long as we continue to publish them.

Sign up with your email address
(name optional)

Get the Art Passport (free)
Divers swimming around the underwater sculpture Ocean Gaia

( THE JOURNEY )

The experience starts before your trip
and continues after it.

Ocean Gaia (2025) by Jason deCaires Taylor

Four steps that begin with meeting art in the sea and lead you into the island’s nature and way of life.

  1. 01Learn

    Before you set out, a short introduction to the sculpture and the island’s nature.

  2. 02Meet

    Go out by boat with a guide and see the sculpture underwater while snorkelling.

  3. 03Experience

    Walk in the island’s forests and get to know its food and way of life.

  4. 04Watch over

    After your trip, follow the changes in the sea around the sculpture with the Art Passport.

( TOUR )

Planned to go on sale in April 2027

Explore Tokunoshima
at your own pace.

From a short time in the sea to a stay on the island.
We are preparing three itineraries: half day, one day and two days. Details may change.

  • Art Passport included

    About 3 hours

    Half-day tour

    The shortest way to meet the sculpture in the sea

    Operated by Marine Service Kamui

  • Art Passport included

    About 7 hours

    One-day tour

    The sculpture in the sea, plus the island’s forests and food

    Operated by Musubiya (sea experience by Marine Service Kamui)

  • Art Passport included

    2 days, 1 night

    Two-day tour

    Stay on the island and try its everyday crafts

    Operated by Musubiya (sea experience by Marine Service Kamui)

If the sea is rough

On days when the boat cannot go out, we plan to switch to a sea experience at another spot or to a programme on land.

Price

Tours are planned to go on sale in April 2027. We will announce prices once they are set.

About 3 hours

Half-day tour

The shortest way to meet the sculpture in the sea

  1. 9:00Meet at the shop near Kametoku Port. Check-in, health check and gear
  2. 9:20Safety briefing and a short introduction to the sculpture
  3. 9:45By boat to the sculpture. See it while snorkelling (about 1 hour)
  4. 11:15Back to port and showers. Your participation is recorded in your Art Passport
  5. 12:00End

Included

  • Boat
  • Guide
  • Gear
  • Insurance

Operated by Marine Service Kamui

These itineraries are examples under consideration. Details and times may change.

About 7 hours

One-day tour

The sculpture in the sea, plus the island’s forests and food

  1. 9:00Same as the half-day tour (to the sculpture in the sea)
  2. 12:00Lunch made with island ingredients
  3. 13:30To the World Natural Heritage forest. Walk a forest trail
  4. 15:00Island culture (for example, meeting the bulls raised for the island’s bull-versus-bull fights, called togyu)
  5. 16:00Reflection and end

Included

  • The half-day tour
  • Lunch
  • Transport on the island
  • Guide

Operated by Musubiya (sea experience by Marine Service Kamui)

These itineraries are examples under consideration. Details and times may change.

2 days, 1 night

Two-day tour

Stay on the island and try its everyday crafts

  1. Day 1The one-day tour, then to your accommodation in Kametsu. Island cuisine for dinner (night tour for those who wish)
  2. Day 2Make chopsticks from island wood, or fish with a bamboo rod alongside a local fisher. End around noon

Included

  • The one-day tour
  • Accommodation
  • Dinner
  • Day 2 activity

Operated by Musubiya (sea experience by Marine Service Kamui)

These itineraries are examples under consideration. Details and times may change.

( TRAVEL WITH CARE )

Safety

The sea experience is led by guides from Marine Service Kamui, a local dive shop that guides visitors in the seas of Tokunoshima.

  • A guide stays with you, and groups are small
  • We provide life jackets and other gear
  • We decide whether to go ahead, change or cancel based on sea and weather conditions
  • The currents around the sculpture are strong, so a guide always goes with you when you enter the sea
  • Please do not touch the sculpture or marine life

( BEFORE YOU GO )

Conditions, prices and cancellation

Who can join
Age and swimming guidelines will be announced before sales begin.
Health
If you have any health concerns, please contact us in advance.
Price
To be announced before sales begin in April 2027.
Cancellation
Follows the policy of the operator selling the tour. To be announced before sales begin.
Booking
Planned to open in April 2027 through local operators and travel booking sites.

( GETTING HERE )

An island in southern Japan:
Tokunoshima.

From Taiwan and Singapore, connect in Naha (Okinawa) or Kagoshima to reach Tokunoshima.
Here are the two routes.

Map showing Naha (Okinawa), Okinoerabu, Tokunoshima, Amami-Oshima and Kagoshima Tokunoshima
Island Tokunoshima
Airport Kametoku
Port Kagoshima Kagoshima
Airport Amami-Oshima
Island Okinoerabu
Airport Naha
Airport Okinawa

Taoyuan
International
Airport

Taiwan

Changi
Airport

Singapore

Naha Airport

Okinawa

Okinoerabu
Airport

Kagoshima

Tokunoshima
Airport

Tokunoshima
(Kagoshima)

Naha Port

Okinawa

Kametoku
Port

Tokunoshima
(Kagoshima)

Plane

About 1 hr 30 min
(daily)

Plane

About 5 hr

Plane
Plane
Car
Car

About 40 min

Ferry

About 9 hr 30 min

Change at Okinoerabu.
Take an afternoon flight from Naha to arrive the same day

5 flights a week;
not daily

Daily. It leaves Naha at 7:00,
so stay in Naha the night before

SCROLL

From Tokunoshima Airport to the meeting point near Kametoku Port: about 40 minutes by car.

*Times are approximate. Flight and ferry days and times may change. Please check the latest schedules, including connection times, with each operator.

( FAQ )

Frequently asked questions

You will wear a life jacket, and a guide will stay with you. Participation guidelines will be announced before sales begin.

Guides decide whether to go ahead, change or cancel based on sea and weather conditions. On days when the boat cannot go out, we plan to switch to a sea experience at another spot or to a programme on land.

Age requirements will be announced before sales begin.

Available languages will be announced before sales begin.

Sales are planned to start in April 2027, through local operators and travel booking sites.

Until the end of March 2027, you can get it online for free. From April 2027, it will be included with tours on Tokunoshima.

It will be included with tours on Tokunoshima and issued to tour participants. If you get it online by the end of March 2027, you can keep viewing the records of the sea around the sculpture for as long as we continue to publish them.

( PILOT TOUR )

Join our pilot tours
in December

Before sales begin, we are looking for people to try the sea experience with us.
Participation is free. After the experience, please answer a survey.

Apply for a pilot tour (free)
Dates
Sunday 13 and Monday 14 December 2026
What you’ll do
Go out by boat to Ocean Gaia and see it while snorkelling with a guide (about 3 hours)
Group size
6 people each day
Who can join
People with snorkelling experience
Cost
Participation is free. Return travel to Tokunoshima, accommodation and meals are at your own expense (please book your own flights and accommodation).
If the sea is rough
To follow
Selection
First come, first served (we will email you within 3 days to confirm)
Deadline
Thursday 26 November 2026, 23:59 (Japan time), or earlier if both days are full

( STAY CLOSE TO THE OCEAN )

The trip ends,
but your story with the sea goes on.

Start with a free Art Passport and get to know the sea of Tokunoshima.

Get the Art Passport (free)