Naoshima is one of the world's great art pilgrimages — a rural Japanese island transformed by the Benesse Art Site into a landscape where Tadao Ando architecture, Yayoi Kusama pumpkins, and site-specific installations blur art, nature, and village life. A private guide makes it transcendent.
What to expect
The 30-minute high-speed ferry from Takamatsu Port deposits you on an island where art is literally built into the hillsides — Tadao Ando's underground Chichu Art Museum houses Monet's Water Lilies in a space designed so natural light is the only illumination. Yayoi Kusama's iconic yellow pumpkin sits at the water's edge; James Turrell's skyspace opens to the heavens. Your guide threads together Ando's philosophy, the island's fishing-village soul, and each artist's intention, turning a sequence of museums into a cohesive, moving journey. End with lunch at a local café before the ferry returns in time for all-aboard.
Good to know
Ferries depart Takamatsu Port for Naoshima regularly (approx. 50 min standard, 30 min high-speed ferry; from JPY 1,220). Chichu Art Museum requires advance timed-entry tickets — book via the Benesse Art Site Naoshima website as soon as your port date is confirmed. Allow a full day; Naoshima is best savoured slowly.
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at Takamatsu — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.
More to do in Takamatsu
- Ritsurin Garden: Private Guided Walk Through Japan's Finest Garden
- Sanuki Udon: Immersive Small-Group Noodle Hopping Experience
- Yashima Plateau & Shikoku Mura: History Above the Seto Inland Sea
- Takamatsu Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
- Seto Inland Sea Island Hopping: Ogijima & Megijima by Private Boat