We nearly didn't end up going to Naoshima as it's not that quick to get to from Osaka or Kyoto. So when our original plans pivoted, I was able to adjust things to make Naoshima work. I'm so glad this happened.
That's because Naoshima quickly became one of my favourite days whilst we were in
Japan. Okay, it still did involve an early start - we needed to get a train from Okayama to Uno to make the 9.22 ferry to Naoshima - but it would have been a ridiculously early start if we hadn't stayed in Okayama. It takes around 45 minutes if you can get one of the few direct trains that run from Okayama, or about an hour if you need to change at Chayamachi (you just need to cross over to the opposite platform but may have to wait a bit). And there's no need to buy a train ticket as you can tap with your Suica card.
Now, because we pivoted our plans a few weeks before our trip and this wasn't on our itinerary originally, we missed out on staying on the island. That is an option if you book far enough in advance and the place to stay is
Benesse House. But, this is easily doable as a day trip from Okayama, if you don't want to stay over - or you can't get a reservation. And if you're really into art, there are actually a few art islands in this area: Naoshima, Teshima, Inujima and Megijima. So you could easily spend a number of days exploring this part of the Kagawa Prefecture.
You'll need cash to take the ferry from Uno to Naoshima - we headed into Miyandu port, but there's another port at the other side of the island. A return ticket costs 590 yen (about £3), and it's only a quick 15 minute ferry ride across. At Miyandu port you'll immediately see your first art piece, which is one of Yayoi Kusama's famous pumpkins. This one is red, and you're able to go in it, which is pretty cool. There's a few other sculptures around the port area, and a Pokemon drain cover! Until I went to Japan, I did not know how much I'm missing out on by not having colourful drain covers in my life.
At this point you have a choice to make. Are you going to explore Naoshima on foot or rent bikes? We opted to walk, but our first stop off was
Sparky's Coffee for some breakfast. A cool little place but it is horror-themed! There's also some more art to see in this area before you set off walking (or cycling) to the next bit of Naoshima island, including the
Naoshima bath I♥︎湯 where you can actually take a bath! Take note, if you're interested, it is closed in the mornings.
One of the main draws of the island is the
Art House Project. It took us about 25 minutes to walk to Haisha, the first site. It's 600 yen to buy a single ticket online (700 yen in person), or you can get a multi-site ticket for 1,200 yen (1,400 in person) - this gets you access to five of the seven sites. It's recommended you buy tickets in advance for the other two Art House Projects, Kinza and Minamidera.
Prices have gone up since Golden Week 2024, it cost us 1,050 yen (£6) for the multi-site Art House Project ticket and Minamidera, bought in person at Honmura Lounge & Archive.
Haisha was interesting - it's small, though all the sites are - and my favourite was the Go'o Shrine. Minamidera was cool with how it played with your senses - I won't say how! - and the other two we went to were Ishibashi and Kadoya. Such a cool concept of how artists have turned abandoned buildings and spaces into art.
Our next stop was
Hiroshi Sugimoto Gallery: Time Corridors, which was another 25 minute walk away. We needed to book in advance for this (costs 1,500 yen online) - it's recommended you also do the same for the Chichu Art Museum and Ring of Fire - Solar Yang & Lunar Weerasethakul - and once you've looked around here, you have a tea and small sweet (included). Don't forget to look around the gardens of Benesse Art House - and make sure you see your next Yayoi Kusama pumpkin, this time it's an iconic yellow one at the end of a dock. So lovely.
Our favourite stop of the day was our last one, the
Chichu Art Museum (costs 2,500 yen), which you can't take photos in. But, there is a lovely view of the sea as you walk to it from Benesse Art House, as well as art pieces dotted here and there. I'd highly recommend booking a ticket for the Chichu Art Museum to see works from Walter De Maria, Monet, James Turrell and Tadao Ando - Tadao Ando is actually the architect of Naoshima so you'll see his work dotted around the island.
Whilst we didn't get to see everything on Naoshima, we did do a lot of it. And we loved our time there. So much so that we were too busy to grab lunch! Once we got the ferry back to Uno, it was a quick stop-off at 7-ELEVEN before we got the train back to Okayama. A most excellent day in Japan. And one I recommend adding to your itinerary if you're planning a trip there. x
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