Takamatsu & Naoshima

Gateway to the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea: Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin on Naoshima, the Chichu and Teshima art museums, and a bowl of Sanuki udon make this Japan's most design-minded island trip.

Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture and the northern gateway to Shikoku, faces a Seto Inland Sea scattered with hundreds of small islands and is the main ferry base for the "art islands" of Naoshima, Teshima and Shodoshima. Kagawa is Japan's smallest prefecture, yet it is so famous for Sanuki udon that it's nicknamed the "Udon Prefecture" — there are hundreds of udon shops, and in the morning a bowl of freshly made noodles costs just a few hundred yen. Sightseeing falls into three parts: ① central Takamatsu — Ritsurin Garden, Tamamo Park (Takamatsu Castle) and Yashima, 1 day; ② the art islands — Naoshima (Chichu Art Museum, Benesse House, the yellow pumpkin, Art House Project) and Teshima (Teshima Art Museum), 1 day each, getting around by e-bike or island bus; ③ Shodoshima — Olive Park, Angel Road and Kankakei Gorge, 1 day; you can also head west to Kotohira to visit Kotohira-gu (Konpira-san). During the Setouchi Triennale, held every three years (most recently in 2025, with the next expected in 2028), the islands gain many temporary works and see the biggest crowds. Seasons: spring and autumn are the most comfortable, with autumn leaves at Kankakei and Ritsurin Garden in mid-to-late November; summer is hot but the sea is at its bluest; winters are mild and fairly dry. Getting there: there are direct flights to Takamatsu Airport from Shanghai and other cities (check airlines' latest schedules); from Okayama, the JR Marine Liner takes about 55 minutes to Takamatsu. From Takamatsu Port, ferries to Miyanoura Port on Naoshima take about 50 minutes (about 30 minutes by high-speed boat), and to Tonosho Port on Shodoshima about 1 hour; you can also take a 20-minute boat to Naoshima from Uno Port in Okayama. Allow 4–5 days. Note: most museums close on Mondays (the Teshima Art Museum has even more closing days in winter), and the Chichu and Teshima art museums require timed-entry reservations on their official websites; ferry services are limited, so be sure to check the last boat in advance.

Top sights

• Naoshima Yellow Pumpkin – Yayoi Kusama's polka-dot yellow pumpkin sculpture on a pier by the sea is the emblem of the Naoshima and Setouchi art trip.
• Chichu Art Museum – A museum designed by Tadao Ando and almost entirely buried underground, showing Monet's Water Lilies alongside works by James Turrell and W…
• Teshima Art Museum – A white concrete shell shaped like a water droplet, set beside rice terraces. Inside, water beads well up from the floor and flow across it…
• Ritsurin Garden – A strolling daimyo garden built by the Matsudaira lords of Takamatsu, with Mount Shiun as its backdrop, six ponds, and thirteen artificial…
• Kotohira-gu Shrine – A shrine on Mount Zozu dedicated to the guardian deity of seafarers, popularly known as Konpira-gu. 785 stone steps lead from the approach…
• Benesse House Museum – A building designed by Tadao Ando that combines a museum and a hotel, facing the Seto Inland Sea, with modern art scattered inside and outs…
• Tamamo Park (Takamatsu Castle) – One of Japan's three great sea castles, with its moat fed directly by seawater, where you can feed red sea bream from the riverbank, and wi…
• Yashima – A table-shaped lava plateau northeast of Takamatsu, the battlefield of the Genpei War, with the 84th temple of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgri…
• Shodoshima Olive Park – A hillside park where Japan's olive cultivation began, with white Greek-style windmills against the sea, and a famous spot to pose with a m…
• Angel Road – A sandbar near Tonosho Port on Shodoshima that appears with the tides, linking to a small island at low tide, with the legend that couples…
• Kankakei Gorge – Volcanic rock pinnacles and a deep gorge in central Shodoshima. Ride the cable car over the ravine for views of autumn foliage and the Seto…
• Lee Ufan Museum – A half-buried museum designed by Tadao Ando in collaboration with Korean artist Lee Ufan, using stone, steel plates and empty space to crea…
• Art House Project (Honmura) – Old houses, a temple and a shrine in the Honmura area of Naoshima have been transformed into art works. Wander the lanes to find seven inst…
• Naoshima Bath "I Love Yu" – A public bathhouse designed by artist Shinro Ohtake where you can actually bathe, its exterior and interior covered in collage, mosaics and…
• Red Pumpkin – Yayoi Kusama's large installation on the pier at Miyanoura Port. This red pumpkin covered in black dots can be entered, and it is the first…
• Teshima Yokoo House – An old traditional house in Ieura converted into a museum for Tadanori Yokoo's works. Red glass, a waterfall tower and a stone garden make…
• Les Archives du Coeur – Christian Boltanski's seaside installation on Teshima, a collection of heartbeats from tens of thousands of people around the world, where…
• Inujima Seirensho Art Museum – An art museum converted from the ruins of a century-old copper refinery. The brick chimney and geothermal heat provide natural ventilation…
• Megijima (Onigashima) – An island about 20 minutes by boat from Takamatsu Port, said to be the “Ogre Island” of the Momotaro legend, with a large cave on its summi…
• Ogijima – A “cat island” with old houses and narrow lanes stacked up the slope behind the harbor. Art works are scattered through the village, and th…
• Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village – Location of the 1987 film “Twenty-Four Eyes.” A wooden schoolhouse and fishing-village streetscapes from the early Showa era stand along th…
• Shodoshima Hishio no Sato – A district in southeastern Shodoshima where soy sauce breweries and tsukudani factories are concentrated. Visit old soy sauce warehouses wi…
• Marugame Castle – A surviving castle keep famous for its stone walls, stacked in tiers to about 60 meters high. The keep is one of Japan's twelve surviving c…
• Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA) – An art museum right beside JR Marugame Station. Its huge frame-shaped facade, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, bears a mural by Genichiro Inok…
• Chichibugahama Beach – After low tide, water pooling on the sand forms a “mirror of the sky,” and at sunset people's reflections appear, earning it the nickname “…
• Takaya Shrine (Torii in the Sky) – A shrine at the summit of Mount Inazumi, about 404 meters above sea level, where the torii appears to hang in the sky, with the city of Kan…
• Kanamaru-za Kabuki Theater – Built in 1835, Japan's oldest surviving kabuki theater. Visitors can see the stage machinery and the underground “naraku,” and formal perfo…
• Kitahama Alley – A creative district in old warehouses beside Takamatsu Port, with cafés, select shops and restaurants facing the Seto Inland Sea.
• Shikoku Mura Open-Air Museum – An open-air folk house museum at the foot of Mount Yashima, with 33 houses and buildings moved from across Shikoku, dating from the Edo to…
• Zentsu-ji Temple – The birthplace of Kūkai, founder of the Shingon school. It is Temple 75 on the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, with a five-story pagoda about…

Where to eat

• Teuchi Judan Udon Baka Ichidai – The birthplace of Kama Butter Udon, opening at 6:00 AM. A famous Takamatsu udon shop where you can enjoy a bowl from da…
• Honetuki-dori Ikkaku Takamatsu – The representative restaurant for Kagawa's bone-in chicken legs, selected as a Tabelog Hyakumeiten (Top 100 Restaurants…
• Chikusei – A highly popular self-service udon shop in Takamatsu city, known as the birthplace of soft-boiled egg tempura, with fre…
• Waraya – An udon restaurant housed in an old folk home at the foot of Mount Yashima, featuring a unique waterwheel and thatched-…
• Tenkatsu Honten – A historic Takamatsu establishment founded in 1866, where diners gather around a large fish tank to enjoy Seto Inland S…
• Genmai Shinsyoku Aisunao – A vegan restaurant in an old folk home in Honmura, Naoshima, famous for its brown rice and Gojiru set meals, perfect fo…
• Cafe Salon Nakaoku – An old folk home cafe hidden in Honmura, Naoshima, where omurice is the most popular dish, and one of the few places on…

Itineraries

• Shikoku Grand Loop Self-Drive – Embark on a grand loop from Naruto through Iya, Kochi, Shimanto, Ashizuri, Uwajima, and Dogo, ending in Kotohira and Ta…
• Classic Shikoku Rail Loop – Enter via Okayama to Takamatsu, connecting Naoshima, Kotohira, Oboke, Kochi, Matsuyama, and Uchiko by rail, with no dri…
• Setouchi Art Islands Hopping – Depart from Takamatsu to connect Naoshima, Teshima, and Shodoshima, exploring art museums, islands, and Ritsurin Garden.
• Shikoku Henro Highlights & Mount Koya – Follow the traditional pilgrimage route to representative temples from Tokushima to Kagawa, complete the journey at Oku…
• Sanyo & Setouchi Classic Rail Tour – A first-timer's route using the Shinkansen to connect Himeji, Kurashiki, Naoshima, Onomichi, Hiroshima, and Miyajima.