10 things to do in Uno
Ranked by one question: if you had a single call here, what would you regret missing? Every entry carries the round-trip time from the berth.
Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada
Naoshima: the Red Pumpkin and Miyanoura
The art island across the water from the ship. On the quay at Miyanoura stand Yayoi Kusama’s Red Pumpkin and Sou Fujimoto’s Naoshima Pavilion, made of about 250 stainless-steel mesh panels; you can walk into both. Ferries leave Uno 13 times a day, 06:10 to 20:25. The I♥︎湯 bathhouse by the port opens 13:00–21:00, ¥660; the bath, not the quay, shuts on Mondays.
Shikoku Kisen ferry from Uno to Miyanoura, about 20 min, ¥370 each way; the pier is about 4 min on foot from the berth (our estimate)Full guide: NaoshimaChichu Art Museum
Tadao Ando’s museum on Naoshima, built into the hillside. 10:00–17:00, last admittance 16:00; closed Mondays (open on holiday Mondays, closed the next day). Weekdays ¥2,500 online, weekends and holidays ¥2,700 online. Date-and-time tickets are sold online in advance; if they sell out, there are no door sales that day.
Ferry to Miyanoura 20 min, ¥370; town bus to Tsutsuji-so ¥100, then the free museum shuttleFull guide: Chichu Art MuseumBenesse House Museum and the yellow Pumpkin
The museum-hotel on Naoshima’s south shore, open every day of the year, 08:00–21:00 (last admittance 20:00), ¥1,300 online, ¥1,500 at the door. Kusama’s yellow Pumpkin is among the outdoor works on its grounds by the sea. The pick for a Monday call, when Chichu and the art houses are closed.
Ferry to Miyanoura 20 min, ¥370; town bus to Tsutsuji-so ¥100, then the shuttle or about 1 km on foot (our estimate)Google MapsTeshima Art Museum
A single white concrete shell on a hillside on Teshima, by the artist Rei Naito and the architect Ryue Nishizawa. March–September 10:00–17:00, October–February 10:00–16:00; closed Tuesdays from March to November. Advance reservation with a date and time is required: ¥1,800 online, and if online tickets sell out there are no door sales. Heritage Adventurer’s 27 April 2027 call is a Tuesday.
Shodoshima Teshima Ferry from Uno to Ieura, ¥780; then about 2.7 km to the museum by island bus or bicycle (our estimate). Sailings are few: check the operatorGoogle MapsOkayama Korakuen
A daimyo stroll garden of lawns, ponds and tea houses, with the black keep of Okayama Castle behind it. 07:30–18:00 from 20 March to September, 08:00–17:00 from October; adult ¥500, with the castle ¥800. The cruise lines sell this day as “Koraku-en & Kurashiki”.
JR Uno Minato Line to Okayama about 55 min, ¥590; tram to Shiroshita 4 min, then 10 min on foot. Taxi from the berth about ¥11,000 (our estimate)Full guide: Okayama KorakuenOkayama Castle
The black-walled keep beside Korakuen, a museum inside. 09:00–17:30, last entry 17:00; closed 29–31 December. Adult ¥500; the joint ticket with Korakuen is ¥800. Indoors, so it also works in the rain.
Across the river from Korakuen, about 10 min on foot; JR to Okayama about 55 min from UnoGoogle MapsKurashiki canal quarter
The Bikan Historical Quarter: white plaster storehouses and willows along the Kurashiki canal, free to walk at any hour. The prefecture gives 50 minutes by car from the berth. On the canal bank, behind the ivy-covered gate, is the Ohara Museum of Art: March–November 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), December–February 09:00–15:00; it shuts on Mondays except holidays and opens every day in August. Adult ¥2,000 covers the main building, the Craft and Asian Art building and the Kojima Torajiro memorial; the Annex is closed long-term. The canal itself is open every day.
JR via Okayama, about 75 min, ¥860; about 15 min on foot from JR Kurashiki. Taxi from the berth about ¥10,200 (our estimate)Full guide: Kurashiki Bikan quarterUno Port art and a sea-view bath
Uno no Chinu, a black sea bream built by Yodogawa Technique from rubbish and driftwood collected on the Uno coast, stands on the pier next to the ship; other Setouchi Triennale works line the waterfront. Then Seto-uchi Onsen Tamano-yu: two outdoor baths facing the Inland Sea, 10:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00), weekdays ¥1,700, weekends and holidays ¥2,000, closed the third Tuesday of the month.
Walk from the gangway: Uno no Chinu is on the pier; Tamano-yu about 5 min (our estimate)Google MapsLunch in Uno: onsen-tamago-meshi or sushi
Tamano’s own dish is onsen-tamago-meshi: fried rice with conger eel in a sweet kabayaki sauce, topped with a soft hot-spring egg. Ask at the tourist information desk in JR Uno which shops serve it that day. For Inland Sea fish, Ikedaya Honten has served sushi since 1948, 3 minutes from the station: lunch 11:30–14:00, closed Tuesdays.
By JR Uno Station, a 5-min walk from the berthGoogle Maps
