A small island turned into an art museum
On Naoshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, art museums, outdoor works and old village houses turned into artworks are spread from the ferry port to the beaches. Walk from Yayoi Kusama's polka-dot pumpkins through the lanes of the art houses, and end the day in a bathhouse that is itself a work of art. Ferries take 20 minutes from Uno, an hour by train from Okayama, or 50 minutes from Takamatsu.
Yayoi Kusama's red pumpkin, covered in black dots, sits at Miyanoura Port right where the ferry lands. You can step inside through the holes in its dots.
Kusama's yellow pumpkin sits alone at the end of a pier jutting into the sea, the best-known image of the island. It is taken in before typhoons and high waves.
One of the Art House Project's old homes in Honmura, turned into an artwork: inside, 125 digital counters by Tatsuo Miyajima glow and tick over in a pool of water. Closed on Mondays; two other art houses, Minamidera and Kinza, need booking.
A museum by Tadao Ando, built almost entirely underground, where five of Monet's Water Lilies and works by James Turrell and Walter De Maria are lit by daylight from above. Tickets are timed and booked online, and if they sell out, none are sold at the door.
A museum by Tadao Ando that opened in May 2025, showing contemporary art from across Asia, with exhibitions that change through the seasons. Closed on Mondays.
A working public bathhouse by the artist Shinro Ohtake, covered inside and out with tiles, salvaged scraps and found objects, where you can actually soak for 660 yen. Near Miyanoura Port, it makes a good last stop before the ferry.
A cafe in an old house in Honmura, among the art houses, known for its omurice, rice wrapped in a soft omelet. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.