It may well be the world’s most photographed gourd. The yellow polka-dotted pumpkin on a pier—the creation of 96-year-old pop-art icon Yayoi Kusama—is the unofficial symbol for Japan’s contemporary art center. But you won’t find it in Tokyo. Instead, this iconic pumpkin is in an unlikely haven for contemporary art—a cluster of sparsely populated islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
History of Naoshima
The center of Japan’s art islands became so thanks to Japanese billionaire Soichiro Fukutake, who opened Benesse House Museum on Naoshima in 1992, bringing contemporary architecture and art to abandoned homes and beaches. Then in 2010, the Setouchi Triennale was held across 12 remote islands (including Naoshima) in an effort to revitalize these sleepy rural islands that have suffered from an aging population and dying industry.
And it worked. Once shut-down elementary schools have been turned into galleries, and abandoned homes are now filled with contemporary artwork made in collaboration with the local people. The islands’ unique history and way of life are not being painted over and forgotten; they are being preserved and reimagined for future generations.
Nature and art meet here in a way that’s relaxing yet exciting; you can be walking or cycling along the sea when suddenly an oversize art installation pops up. This unique experience makes the journey to Japan’s art islands well worth the 90-minute flight from Tokyo or three-hour train trip from Kyoto or Osaka.
Bruce Nauman’s 100 Live and Die (1984) at Benesse House Museum; a stone torii on Naoshima
Courtesy of Shinichi Kotoku/Unsplash (L); courtesy of Derek Tsai/Unsplash (R)
Five Japanese art islands to visit
Unless you have unlimited time, it’s going to be difficult to see every piece of art or even every island. Instead, focus on one or two of the main islands and enjoy the slow pace and natural beauty of the region. Not to be missed are udon noodles. Kagawa (the prefecture where Naoshima and Teshima are located) is famous for these thick wheat flour noodles, slurped hot or cold.
Naoshima
Art Highlights
Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkins and other outdoor art sculptures are free to explore.Benesse House Museum: Generally open daily 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Tickets are between JPY 1,300 (US$8) and JPY 1,500 (US$10).Naoshima New Art Museum: Open Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (last entry 4 p.m.). Tickets are between JYP 1,500 (US$10) and JPY 1,700 (US$11).Chichu Art Museum: Open Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tickets are between JPY 2,500 (US$16) and JPY3,000 (US$20).Most museums are free for children 15 and under.
This is the island where it all began with the opening of Benesse House Museum in 1992. Naoshima was an isolated and sleepy island, but Fukutake saw the island’s natural beauty as a perfect backdrop for art, and art as a salvation for the island’s suffering economy.
Designed by Japanese master architect Tadao Ando, Benesse House overlooks the Seto Inland Sea and doubles as both a museum and boutique art hotel. Spend a night at the museum under the same roof as works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, David Hockney, Niki de Saint Phalle, Kimiyo Mishima, and Jenny Holzer.
Opened in May 2025, Naoshima New Museum of Art is the latest art site of Benesse Art Site Naoshima, the collective name for the growing network of art museums and public art installations powered by Fukutake and spread across three islands, primarily Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima.
The New Museum of Art is the first of the Benesse art sites to focus exclusively on contemporary Asian art. Also designed by Ando, the museum rests on a hilltop overlooking the small port Honmura; it features the Pritzker Prize–winning architect’s signature austere concrete aesthetic with large-scale skylights and two underground floors built to complement the landscape.
Naoshima New Museum of Art opened in May 2025,; it is the tenth structure Tadao Ando has designed for Benesse Art Site Naoshima.
While on Naoshima, be sure to visit another one of Ando’s architectural masterpieces, Chichu Art Museum, a subterranean space that’s a five-minute drive from Benesse House (the two are connected by a shuttle bus). It was designed underground as well, so it wouldn’t tamper with the natural landscape. Here you’ll find five of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies paintings, an immersive installation by land artist pioneer and sculptor Walter De Maria, and one of famed light artist James Turrell’s signature Skyspaces.
The most powerful art here is the unseen and the unsnapped. Put your camera away and experience the pitch-black darkness of Turrell’s sensory twisting Backside of the Moon, a light installation held in Minamidera (“southern temple” in Japanese), a temple-like building also designed by Ando.
It honors the history of the surrounding area, which was once home to a number of temples and shrines. Some viewers liken experiencing Turrell’s sensory work to a religious experience.
No cameras are allowed in Japanese digital artist Tatsuo Miyajima’s Sea of Time 98 permanent exhibit either. Made in collaboration with the island’s residents, it encourages you to pause and reflect by the shallow pool of glowing numbers. Local residents—from ages 5 to 95—set these LED counters to a speed that indicates how they view the passage of time.
End the day soaking up the art and culture at Naoshima Bath “I♥湯” (湯, read as yu, means hot water or bath in Japanese), a funky colorful sento (bathhouse) designed by Shinro Ohtake.
reflectwo by Haruka Kojin is one of the pieces installed at A-Art House on Inujima.
Photo by Kimon Berlin/Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Teshima and Inujima
Art Highlights
Teshima Art Museum: Open March 1–September 30 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and October 1–February 28 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Tuesdays March 1–November 30 and Tuesdays to Thursdays from December 1 through February. Tickets are between JPY 1,800 (US$12) and JPY 2,000 (US$13).Inujima Seirensho Art Museum: Open Friday–Monday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed December 1 through February. Tickets are between JYP 2,100 (US$14) and JPY 2,300 (US$15) and include admission to Art House Project.
Benesse Art Site Naoshima also includes sites on the two nearby islands of Teshima and Inujima, which are less crowded with tourists and more laid-back. While you’ll have to take a 30- to 40-minute ferry ride from Naoshima to each island, it’s worth it to see the water droplet–shaped Teshima Art Museum, as well as the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum and mini “Art House Project,” a series of stand-alone galleries scattered throughout the island.
Shōdoshima
Art Highlights
Georges Gallery and Kohira Cafe: Open Thursday–Sunday 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (also open on public holidays) and costs JPY 700 (US$5).
Just east of Teshima and Inujima lies Shōdoshima (also known as Shōdo Island), the second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. For art, don’t miss the Georges Gallery, a gallery and café that displays the works of French artist Georges Rousse, and the Hishio no Sato Museum of Contemporary Art across the street. In between, keep an eye open for various sculptures scattered throughout the island, including Gift of the Sun, a wreath-like structure by Choi Jeong Hwa that greets those arriving at the port.
Be sure to enjoy this island’s edible delights, as well. Also known as “Olive Island,” Shōdoshima was the first place in Japan to successfully cultivate olives. In addition to producing creative olive-infused edibles, it’s also one of the very few places still making Japan’s 400-year-old traditional wood-barreled soy sauce. End a day of art-hopping with an imaginative treat—soy sauce–covered ice cream at the café at Yamaroku Shoyu, a soy sauce brewery that was featured on Netflix’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Megijima and Ogijima
Art Highlights
Beachfront bonsai art house“Little Shops on the Island”Ogijima’s Soul by Jaume Plensa
Megijima and Ogijima are the two closest islands to the port of Takamatsu. Megijima offers a concentration of art to see along its sandy beaches, including a beachfront bonsai art house and a playful collection of “Little Shops on the Island,” old houses turned into galleries that have featured ping-pong tables and laundromat installations. The hillside fishing village in Ogijima also offers artwork that’s walkable from the ferry, such as the permanent installation Ogijima’s Soul by Jaume Plensa, a translucent port welcoming visitors to the island.
Where to stay on Japan’s art islands
Benesse House is part museum, part hotel, and overnight guests have after-hours access to the museum.
Short on time? Stay on Naoshima
Naoshima is the best place to stay if you only have a couple of days, since it has a large concentration of sculptures, museums, and art installations.
A true highlight for art lovers is Benesse House, which has 65 rooms in four distinct buildings on a quiet, seaside property dotted with sculptures. If you can, book a room in the Museum house, which allows you to spend the night in an actual museum, or the Oval house, best known for its oval-shaped architecture and hilltop views of the sea (only guests at the Oval house can enter). All stays include free admission to the museum and extended hours access.
Opened in 2022, the Naoshima Ryokan Roka is a luxurious addition to the island’s hotel offerings. In contrast to Benesse House’s cool, concrete modernism, Roka is a warm, modern take on the traditional Japanese ryokan, making use of light-colored wood furniture and shōji doors and windows in the design. Roka’s 11 suites include an open-air bath. The on-site restaurant, En, serves multicourse kaiseki and sushi dinners (vegan options available). Keep an eye open for playful touches, such as conversation starters on the chopsticks, throughout.
The beautiful Ritsurin Garden in the port city of Takamatsu has more than 1,000 pruned pine trees.
Photo by Lin chiaching/Shutterstock
For a longer visit, stay in Takamatsu
If you want to visit as many of the 12 islands as possible, your best bet is to base yourself in Takamatsu, the island of Shikoku’s port city. From here, you can catch frequent ferry service directly to the eastern islands like Naoshima and Shōdoshima (except Inujima, which you can reach by changing boats on Shōdoshima or Teshima).
There’s also much to experience in Takamatsu, including the Ritsurin Garden’s artfully landscaped paths of more than 1,000 pruned pine trees, as well as the region’s signature udon noodles, one of Japan’s ultimate comfort foods. There’s even an Udon
Art Highlights
Teshima Art Museum: Open March 1–September 30 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and October 1–February 28 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Tuesdays March 1–November 30 and Tuesdays to Thursdays from December 1 through February. Tickets are between JPY 1,800 (US$12) and JPY 2,000 (US$13).Inujima Seirensho Art Museum: Open Friday–Monday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed December 1 through February. Tickets are between JYP 2,100 (US$14) and JPY 2,300 (US$15) and include admission to Art House Project.
Taxi that will take you to all the famous restaurants known for udon, as well as locals’ lesser-known spots.
If you want to be close to the ferries, stay at JR Clement Inn Takamatsu, a modern Western-style hotel steps from the train station and ferry docks. For a more traditional Japanese experience, head up the hill to Hanajyuki’s onsen (hot springs) heaven with sweeping views of the city and the sea from an onsen on the rooftop or one on your own private balcony. From here, both a train and bus go to Takamatsu port in 30 minutes.
How to get to Naoshima and Japan’s other art islands
From Osaka or Kyoto, take a train to Okayama (60–80 minutes), then transfer to a bus or a local train bound for Uno Port (75 minutes). Here, you can catch the ferry to Naoshima (20 minutes).
Alternatively, you can fly or take the train to Takamatsu, directly across from the islands. The ferry from Takamatsu to Naoshima takes 50 minutes; the fast boat takes 30. There are then ferries from Naoshima to Teshima and Inujima.
To avoid the long ticket lines each time you ride, buy a booklet of tickets at the counter in Takamatsu, Tonosho Port, or Uno Port. If you’re only going once, be sure to buy a round-trip ticket. Ferry tickets cost JPY 680 each (US$4), or JPY 6,800 (US$44) for the booklet of 11.
Once you’re on the islands, get around using the public buses, including Naoshima’s shuttle bus, or on bikes that you can rent at the ports on each island.
This article was originally published in 2019 and most recently updated on November 6, 2025, with current information. Jessie Beck and Sophie Friedman contributed to the reporting of this story.
AloJapan.com