Naoshima has long drawn visitors for its eccentric sprawl of art museums, but as Lale Arikoglu discovers, the island is just the tipping point of what the region has to offer. Getty In August 2021, Typhoon Lupit reached the shores of Naoshima, a small island in Japan ’s Setouchi region, and blew a giant yellow pumpkin by the artist Yayoi Kusama out to sea. Footage of the incident, which remains available on YouTube, shows the sculpture upturned, interior belly exposed, tossed about by crashing waves, its famous polka dotted shell bending like cardboard to the winds. The pumpkin, which is worth several million dollars, was eventually retrieved and a year later replaced by a new version, this time with a stronger structure to protect it from the elements—and maintain its position as a prized photo opportunity. Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin sculpture on Naoshima's Benesse art site Tadasu Yamamoto Pumpkin is just one of several similar sculptures by Kusama on Naoshima.…