Photo: 663highland / CC BY 2.5Naoshima refined copper for most of the twentieth century and was left with a damaged landscape and a shrinking population. From the late 1980s an education company began buying land and commissioning buildings, and the island was gradually rebuilt around contemporary art.
Tadao Ando’s museums are sunk into the hillsides so that almost nothing breaks the skyline — Chichu is essentially underground, lit by daylight shafts. In Honmura village, old houses have been converted one at a time, including a former dentist’s surgery with a Statue of Liberty inside it.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Chichu Art Museum requires a timed ticket booked online in advance. Do it before you leave home.
- Most museums close on Mondays. Check your call date against that before planning anything.
- Rent a bicycle at Miyanoura — the island is hilly but small, and buses are infrequent.
- The yellow Kusama pumpkin is on the Benesse side jetty; the red one is at Miyanoura, by the ferry.
- Take the second-to-last ferry back, never the last. That is a whole spare crossing in reserve.
In Honmura village, old houses have been converted one at a time, including a former dentist’s surgery with a Statue of Liberty inside it.
Guided ways to do Naoshima
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Takamatsu
Spot guideRitsurin
Larger than Kenroku-en, four centuries old, and quiet
Open the guide →
Spot guideTakamatsu Castle
A moat full of sea bream, ten minutes from the gangway
Open the guide →
Spot guideKotohira-gu (Konpira-san)
The sea-travellers' shrine up 785 stone steps, one direct train from the waterfront
Open the guide →Questions people ask here
Can I do Naoshima on a cruise call?
Only just on an eight-hour call: on a 09:00–17:00 call the only workable ferries are the 10:14 out and 14:20 back, with no later boat. A 12-hour call is the comfortable one. The ferry is fifty to sixty minutes each way from the same pier your ship uses, and the museums need three to four hours. On a shorter call, Megijima or Ogijima are twenty to forty minutes out, also carry Setouchi Triennale art, and are nearly empty.
Do I need to book Naoshima museums in advance?
Chichu Art Museum requires a timed ticket booked online ahead of arrival, so do it before you leave home. Most of the island’s museums also close on Mondays — check that against your call date before building a plan around them.