Naoshima
Setouchi Art Tour

Naoshima

An island where Tadao Ando’s architectural masterpieces meet world-renowned contemporary art.

  • Duration: 11 hours (starting at 8:00)
  • Price: On request
  • Departure: Departure and return from hotels in Okayama city (departure from Okayama Station is also possible)

Overview

Naoshima is a small island, lost in the waters of the Seto Inland Sea, yet it is a special place that captivates art lovers from around the world. Here, museums, architecture, and natural landscapes merge, turning the island itself into a work of art. Gentle sea light, shifting shades of sky, and tranquil rural views—all are imbued with art, creating unique impressions found only here.

 

Across the island, you will encounter iconic architectural works by Tadao Ando, as well as pieces by renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Lee Ufan, James Turrell, and Claude Monet. But Naoshima is not only about contemplating art: the island’s true charm is revealed in the dialogue between architecture and nature, felt against the backdrop of the sea breeze.

 

The journey begins with a ferry ride from Uno Port to Naoshima, followed by a full day devoted to exploring the island’s main art locations. Among them are the much-anticipated Naoshima New Museum, opening in spring 2025, the Lee Ufan Museum, Benesse House Museum, Valley Gallery, and the world-renowned Chichu Art Museum. If you wish, a visit can be arranged to the Honmura district with the Art House Project and Ando Museum, where the village itself becomes a stage for art.

 

At the Chichu Art Museum, you will encounter works by Claude Monet, illuminated solely by natural light, while the Lee Ufan Museum invites you to savor the aesthetics of space and silence. At the Benesse House Museum, stroll through halls where architecture and contemporary art merge, and the landscape of the Seto Inland Sea becomes part of the artistic vision.

 

Lunch is served at the restaurant inside Benesse House. Savor the seasonal flavors of the region while admiring the calm expanse of the Seto Inland Sea.

To conclude the day—a meeting with Yayoi Kusama’s “Yellow Pumpkin” on the shore. The striking contrast between the blue sea and the vivid yellow has become a symbol of the island, enchanting visitors from around the world.

 

Cross the sea by ferry, stroll among architectural masterpieces, feel the interplay of light and space, and immerse yourself in a landscape where nature and art blend in harmony. A day on Naoshima is not simply a tour of museums, but a special time to discover the refined aesthetics of the Seto Inland Sea.

 

Itinerary: Hotel in Okayama → Uno Port → ferry to Naoshima (Miyanoura Port) → Naoshima New Museum (or Honmura “Art House Project” / Ando Museum) → Lee Ufan Museum → lunch at Benesse House restaurant → Benesse House Museum → Valley Gallery → Chichu Art Museum → Yayoi Kusama “Yellow Pumpkin” and coastal art → Miyanoura Port → ferry to Uno Port → hotel in Okayama

Key Features

  1. Chichu Art Museum — Architecture of Light — In 2004, a museum designed by Tadao Ando was built into the hillside. Masterpieces such as Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies,” works by James Turrell and Walter De Maria, are on permanent display in natural light, their appearance changing with the time of day and season.
  2. Lee Ufan Museum — A Dialogue of Stone, Steel, and Space — A semi-underground museum, born in 2010 from the collaboration between artist Lee Ufan and Tadao Ando. Stone, metal, and emptiness become independent elements, resonating with Ando’s architecture in one of Setouchi’s most contemplative spaces.
  3. Benesse House Museum is Ando’s first project on the island. — Opened in 1992. The boundaries between the exhibition halls and the seascape are blurred, with contemporary artworks from around the world on display. Artworks are placed in the rooms and open spaces, turning the entire stay into an immersion in the world of art.
  4. Valley Gallery — the Garden across the entire valley — Opened in 2022 as the ninth Tadao Ando project on the island. “Narcissus Garden” by Yayoi Kusama is located in a semi-enclosed valley, where countless mirrored spheres reflect the surrounding nature.
  5. New Art Museum — a new chapter in Asian art — Opened in spring 2025 as the tenth Ando building on the island. At its heart is contemporary Asian art: Takashi Murakami, Cai Guo-Qiang, Do Ho Suh. This is the first museum to bear the island's own name.
  6. Ando Museum — concrete inside a wooden house — In 2013, Tadao Ando renovated a century-old townhouse in Naoshima’s Honmura district, preserving its traditional façade while creating a space that reflects the essence of his architectural philosophy.

Itinerary

Day 1 — A Day in Naoshima — A Day Following the Light

Cross the sea and walk the island itself as a work of art

  • 8:00 Hotels in Okayama
    Your personal guide will meet you in the hotel lobby. Departure by premium-class car.
  • 8:00–8:50 To Uno Port
    Along the scenic road along the Seto Inland Sea, you will arrive at Uno Port, from where you will take a ferry with your car to Naoshima Island.
  • 9:20 Journey to Naoshima
    A 20-minute cruise offers picturesque views of the beautiful archipelago from the deck. Disembarkation will take place at Miyaura port.
  • 10:00 The new Naoshima Art Museum (or the "Art House" project in Honmura + Ando Museum)
    At the new museum opening in 2025, you will be able to see contemporary Asian art by artists such as Takashi Murakami and Cai Guo-Qiang. Upon request, we can also arrange a tour of the collection displayed in the restored traditional village houses.
  • 11:30 Lee Ufan Museum
    Into the semi-underground space. Feel the tension created by stone, iron, and emptiness.
  • 12:30 Lunch at Benesse House restaurant
    Enjoy a dish of local seafood and seasonal vegetables at a table overlooking the Setouchi islands.
  • 13:45 Benesse House Museum
    Visit the exhibition halls open to the sea and enjoy works of art displayed both indoors and outdoors, accompanied by the silhouettes of islands on the horizon.
  • 14:30 Valley Gallery
    In the semi-open space of the valley, proceed to Yayoi Kusama’s “Narcissus Garden.” Enjoy the sky and greenery reflected in countless mirrored spheres.
  • 15:30 Chichu Art Museum
    In the underground space, filled only with natural light. In Monet's "Water Lilies" hall, you encounter the paintings in the light of the present moment.
  • 16:30 Yellow Pumpkin / Art by the Sea
    At Benesse Pier, encounter Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Yellow Pumpkin. Set against the tranquil waters of the Seto Inland Sea, it has become not only the symbol of Naoshima but also one of the most recognizable images of contemporary Japanese art.
  • 17:30 Departure from Naoshima
    From Miyanoura Port, you will once again set out across the tranquil waters of the Seto Inland Sea. As the island gradually fades into the horizon, memories remain of a day spent amidst art, architecture, and light.
  • 17:35–17:55 To Uno Port
    Cross the evening sea and return to Honshu.
  • 19:00 Arrival at the hotel in Okayama
    We will escort you to the hotel by car.

LIGHT ABOVE THE WATER

Light on the Water — When Naoshima Becomes a Single Canvas

Crossing the waters of the Seto Inland Sea, you watch as the islands emerge one by one on the horizon. Naoshima is just one of them. Yet as soon as you step ashore, the familiar contours of the island begin to dissolve, giving way to light, space, and art.

At the Chichu Art Museum, you descend underground, yet the space is filled with natural light. Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” are illuminated not by lamps, but by the sky of the day, so the impression they leave is never the same twice. In the Lee Ufan Museum, a single stone, a single steel plate, and the surrounding emptiness become a work of art, inviting you to see the space around you anew.

Naoshima is a place where architecture becomes a frame for the landscape, the sea becomes part of the exhibition, and light is its principal material. For over thirty years, Tadao Ando has created here not just buildings, but spaces for contemplation, where nature and art exist as a single whole.

By evening, returning to the port of Miyanoura, you see the island once again as just a silhouette on the horizon. And then comes the realization: this entire day has been less a journey through museums than an encounter with the light, the sea, and the silence of Seto.

*Destinations and the order of visits may change depending on ticket availability (advance reservations are required for the Chichu Museum of Contemporary Art and Naoshima New Museum).

Additional options

 

  • Private yacht/speedboat (Uno–Naoshima)
  • Accompaniment by a contemporary art curator or art historian
  • Extension of the route to the art islands of Teshima and Inujima
  • Sunset cruise on the Seto Inland Sea
  • Luxury accommodation in a ryokan on the island or at Benesse House
  • Helicopter flight over the Seto Inland Sea
  • For guests from Kyoto, helicopter transfer  (Kyoto–Naoshima)

Practical Information

Start time / Duration
8:00 / 11 hours
Included in the price
・Premium-class car with a personal driver
・Guide accompaniment
・Entrance tickets
・Uno–Naoshima ferry (car transportation)

*Please note: meals and additional optional fees are not included in the tour price.