Naoshima Island

Beautiful island full of art and quiet places for reflection. Tourist only go on the beaten track so if you want solitude there's plenty of places to just explore the island and get creative inspiration. I spent a day here but I'd definitely recommend staying for the night and exploring at a slow pace. Lots to see

The island was beautiful ❤️. Everything was so nice and serene. There are lots of really cool vented points that you could set out and stare at the scenery. Everything is very far away though so I would recommend getting an e bike or a car to explore. We were there for one day and we're able to get everything done. Getting to the island is a little bit difficult especially if you're coming all the way from Okayama but if you stick out the buses it's quite a nice reward. PS the ferry right there is going to be extremely windy so make sure you bring a jacket

Just spent a lovely day here. Alot of walking but we're big walkers, bikes for rent which makes things much quicker and there's bus service around the island as well. Highlight for us was the Chichu Museum...the Monet was beautiful and James Turrell was a trip! Also hit the Valley Garden, some great insta moments there. Great day trip if you're in Okayama.

one of my favorite places in japan! the whole island is really beautiful! our homestay provided us with bicycles so we went around the island with bicycles. (except to go to the benesse museum). lots of nice museum and sculpture scattered around the island. (the famous yayoi kusama pumpkin!) we even stopped by the I♥︎湯 sento. it was small but they had nice decoration inside. you can visit it during the day for free without having to take a bath. a really nice place if you like to walk around and explore things in a leisurely pace. will definitely come again and visit the neighboring island.

Beautiful, peaceful, inspirational, exciting, artful(is that a word?)…. Just sublime…. Not easy to get to but so worth the journey if you are looking for something different on your Japan journey….. and if you can afford it, worth staying a couple of days!

The quietest town I’ve visited in Japan—so peaceful you can count the number of locals you see on the street with your fingers. Ironically, it’s the tourists that bring the noise and life to this otherwise calm and sleepy island. I’m really glad I made the trip. If you love art, this place—often dubbed the Art Island—should be on your list. It’s not your usual Japan itinerary, and that’s exactly what makes it special. Be sure to plan your day well though, as the museums have specific opening times and require tickets. I recommend staying the night and renting a bicycle to explore the island at your own pace. It’s quiet, inspiring, and truly one of a kind.

A must go excellent art filled island. Stay on the island if you can get a booking.

I'm not sure if I'm missing something but for a day trip this was kinda...meh. The museums were expensive to enter and sparsely furnished. The entry fee on some such as the art house project are just inexplicable. It honestly felt like a bit of a tourist trap given how expensive everything is on the island. We visited from Takamatsu and spent more time stressing about making the ferry times rather than enjoying the experience. Maybe if you stay on the island you have a better experience? The wolf thing was cool though.

Naoshima is considered the island art and even this pit stop is no difference. Umi no Eki is a one stop place to get you ferry ticket to Okayama. You can also get local items for gifts and grab some snack while waiting for the ferry to leave. You can also take the bus from here to your hotel or local bus to take you around the island. And of course , just a few minutes walk you can see the red polka dot pumpkin. It's a one stop shop for almost everything.