Naoshima
About This Destination
Location
Prefecture: Kagawa
Address: Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan
Nearest Station: Miyanoura Port
Visitor Information
Credit Cards: Accepted
Food Options: Cafe and restaurant at Benesse House. Village of Honmura has small cafes and a bakery. Island restaurants serve fresh Seto Inland Sea fish.
Access
Kagawa, Japan
Get DirectionsFrequently Asked Questions
How much do the museums cost and which need reservations?
**Reservations required**: **Chichu Art Museum** (¥2,100 adult, timed-entry only, book at chichu.jp 1 to 2 months ahead for spring/autumn weekends, since turning up unannounced means a 'sold out for today' sign at the gate). **Kinza** (a single Art House Project house, ¥520 + advance booking via naoshima.net). **Walk-in OK**: **Lee Ufan Museum** (¥1,050), **Benesse House Museum** (¥1,300; free for staying guests), **Art House Project combined ticket** (¥1,050 for 6 houses excl. Kinza), **Valley Gallery** (¥1,050), **Ando Museum** (¥520). **All island museums closed Mondays** (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday). Check naoshima.net before booking ferries. Total spend for a serious day: ¥6,000 to 8,000 in museum entries alone. Photography is forbidden inside Chichu, Lee Ufan, Benesse House, and Kinza; phones must stay in pouches handed out at the door.
How do I get to and around the island, and should I day-trip or stay overnight?
**Ferries**: from **Uno Port** (Okayama side; JR Uno Line from Okayama Station, 50 min), Shikoku Kisen Ferry to Miyanoura, **20 min, ¥300**, ~10 round trips daily. From **Takamatsu Port** (Kagawa side), ferry to Miyanoura, **50 min, ¥520**, ~5/day. Bicycles ride free; cars/motorcycles pay extra. **Around the island**: rental bicycle at Miyanoura Port (¥500 to 1,500/day depending on e-bike; the hills between Miyanoura, Honmura and Benesse area are real, e-bike strongly recommended). Naoshima Town Bus runs the south loop (¥100/ride, infrequent, useful for Benesse House to Chichu to port). Walking is doable but slow. **Day-trip is workable for the Benesse area only** (Chichu + Lee Ufan + outdoor sculptures + Yayoi Kusama pumpkins); adding the Honmura Art House Project pushes you into 'one long rushed day'. **Stay overnight** if you want both areas plus dinner without rushing, either Benesse House (¥35,000+) or simpler guesthouses (¥6,000 to 12,000) in Honmura.
Should I worry about Setouchi Triennale years, and what about Teshima and Inujima?
**The Setouchi Triennale** is a 100-day contemporary art festival held every 3 years across the Seto Inland Sea islands, typically split into spring + summer + autumn sessions. The next edition is **2028** (the 2025 edition was the most recent). During Triennale sessions, Naoshima sees doubled crowds: ferries sell out, museum reservations get harder, hotels triple their prices, and lines for the Chichu Museum can exceed 90 min even with reservations. If you're flexible, **avoid Triennale year sessions** unless you specifically want the festival experience. **Teshima and Inujima** are sister islands worth adding for a multi-day art trip: **Teshima** (~25 min ferry from Naoshima Miyanoura) houses the **Teshima Art Museum** (Rei Naito + Ryue Nishizawa, ¥1,570, a single Lacerated-concrete-shell building with water-drop installation, one of Japan's great single-room art experiences). **Inujima** (~25 min ferry from Naoshima Honmura) has the **Inujima Seirensho Art Museum** built into a Meiji-era copper refinery (¥2,100). Both islands have far less infrastructure than Naoshima, so bring water and snacks.
Nearby Destinations
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