Naoshima, Japan
Naoshima - the art island! This has been on my bucket list for a long time so I was happy to finally make the time to visit. I’m glad I went but it really reminded me that I am not a huge contemporary art fan. If you love contemporary art, this place is for you! If you don’t love contemporary art, you might still enjoy the scenic coastal views and random art scattered all over the island. There are plenty of things to do on Naoshima!
PLANNING & GETTING AROUND
Many of the galleries on the island require timed reservations so a visit to Naoshima does require a decent level of planning. The Benesse Art Site website has incredibly detailed information about tickets and times for the galleries on the art islands, along with travel tips. This website was immensely helpful in planning a last-minute visit!
I stayed in Uno instead of Naoshima because it was cheaper. See my Uno post for more information on lodging and dining in Uno.
For the ferry from Uno, there are two ticket stands. If you’re facing the ocean, the smaller one on the left goes to the east side of Naoshima (Honmura Port) and the larger one on the right goes to the west side of Naoshima (Miyanoura Port). I took the right one to Miyanoura and bought my ticket from the little kiosk next to the ticket booth. The ferry is clean, spacious, and adorned with some adorable Yayoi Kasuma artwork.
I had reserved an e-bike the night prior from Ougiya for 1200 YEN for the day. Its office is across the road from the Naoshima Miyanoura ferry port. I was totally confused on how to operate the bike, but a nice German couple showed me the basics. I went over to a small road nearby to practice before setting off on the main road towards the art! The bike will take you pretty far on your art journey, but you’ll have to park it after Chichu Museum and before Valley Gallery and do the remainder on foot. There is also a shuttle bus you can take, but the walk was pleasant enough.
TBH the bike ride along the coast was a delight and made my trek out to Naoshima worth the effort. I stopped at Chichu Museum, Valley Gallery, Lee Ufan Museum, Benesse House Museum, Seaside Gallery, Hiroshi Sugimoto Gallery, and the Yellow Pumpkin.
galleries
Chichu Museum - 2100 YEN, reservations needed for timed entrance; this was my favorite museum I visited on the island with pieces by Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. I’m not a huge Monet fan (sorry, Dad!) but the room with the Monet paintings was incredible - the scale was unreal. There were three different James Turrells. You had to line up for Open Field and they only let a few people in at one time. Incredible optical illusion with light. And you get to experience art with just a few other people so there’s a sense of connection with your small group. One woman in my group asked for permission to lie on the floor, and then laid down and did snow angels. It was adorable and was a random, silly highlight of my day.
Valley Gallery - Fee included in the Benesse House Museum entrance fee (you can pay the fee here or at Benesse House Museum); outside; I really enjoyed the Yayoi Kusama balls
Lee Ufan Museum - 1050 YEN, no reservations needed; outdoor art is free - I liked the outdoor art more than the indoor art
Benesse House Museum - 2100 YEN, no reservations needed; I ate pumpkin soup here in their gift shop
Hiroshi Sugimoto Gallery - 1500 YEN, reservations needed for timed entrance; tea service included in the price of your ticket which people seemed to really enjoy
Seaside Gallery - free, outside; worth a stroll to see some massive balls in a garage-type space (balls is a theme here, huh)
Frog and Cat - free, outside; you can see these on the walk over to the Yellow Pumpkin
Yellow Pumpkin - free, outside
My original plan was to work my way around the galleries in the south, return to the port, and then cut east to check out Art House Project. But after a day of gallery-hopping and biking, I was cold and tired and ready to leave. Sooo I went back to Uno that afternoon and decided to head back to Naoshima the next morning for another art day! I’m not entirely sure the second visit was worth it but again, I am not a huge contemporary art fan, so your mileage may vary.
The next day, I set off to explore Art House Project. In Uno, I headed to the smaller ferry spot (left one if you’re facing the ocean) and took a small ferry to the Honmura Port on the east side of Naoshima.
You have to carefully plan your route since the galleries are all at closed at various times. Again, the Benesse House website is invaluable for planning. Each spot is a former residence and has been transformed by the various artists into very disparate… art houses (appropriately named). You’ll start at Honmura Lounge & Archive to get your tickets, including your timed tickets to the James Turrell piece Backside of the Moon at Minamidera.
Art House Project Galleries
Minamidera - Backside of the Moon by James Turrell. Small groups, pitch black. A really cool experience to experience the art with such a small group of people. Not as impactful for me as the James Turrell Open Field piece, but certainly a highlight of my day.
Haisha - Statue of Liberty, weird, kinda cool, former dentist’s office
Go’o Shrine - Cool, outside. Glass staircase.
I also went to Ishibashi, Gokaisho, and Kadoya. I wanted to go to Kinza but it required advance reservations and they were sold out so I was not able to check this one out.
I was going to stop at Ando Museum but it was a gloomy day and I was hungry and a bit tired, so I had a nice coffee at Hifumiyo instead. I caught a local bus back to the Miyanoura Port since they had a convenient ferry back to Uno. Local bus details on the Benesse website.
Final thoughts: I’m really glad I went to Naoshima but I don’t need to go back anytime soon. Though I am tempted to check out Teshima, another art island, at some point…
I loved two James Turrell pieces the most - Open Field at Chichu Museum and Backside of the Moon at Art House Project: Minamidera. Both of these were kinda immersive and the experience of viewing them in small groups was pretty special.
I will leave you with a tweet that occasionally encapsulates my feelings towards museums —>
If you’re planning a trip to Naoshima, consider staying in Uno, just a short ferry ride away. Check out some of my other Japan posts here:
Discover essential tips and cultural insights for traveling in Japan. From language and transportation to etiquette and practical advice, navigate Japan with confidence.