Naoshima

Naoshima (直島) is an island and town in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Although the island is much closer to the main Japanese island of Honshu, administratively it belongs to Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku.

Understand
Naoshima is famous for its contemporary art museums as well as outdoor contemporary art installations throughout the island. It has a population of approximately 3,000 people.

Avoid visiting the island on Mondays, as most of the museums will be closed.

History
The first settlement on the island was at the now-diminutive fishing port of Tsumuura on the southeastern tip of the island. The most prominent settlement on the island was Honmura which was established as a coastal castle town during the warring states period (1467–1568). The main industry is a smelter and refinery operated by Mitsubishi Materials.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a bilingual guide site.

By boat
To reach Naoshima from the main Japanese island of Honshu, take a train to Okayama, transfer to a local train to Uno Station in Tamano, walk across the street to the boat terminal, and then transfer to a boat to Naoshima. Boats are also available from cities on other islands: Takamatsu (Shikoku) and Inujima.

Naoshima has 2 passenger ports:

Ferries cost approximately ¥300 each way. Check the schedules and fares online.

Get around
Detailed bilingual maps are available at the Marine Station Naoshima in the front of the Miyanoura ferry quay. The maps list guesthouses, restaurants, and major exhibits on the island.

By foot
The island is quite hilly but pleasant enough along the coasts for biking and walking, except for the road from Miyanoura to Chichu Art Museum, which is a climb.

Since the island is quite small, you can easily reach any place on foot in 30 to 60 minutes : the two villages, the ports and the museums.
 * Miyanoura port to Chichu Art Museum: about 30 minutes on southwest course (anti-clockwise).
 * Miyanoura port to Honmura (Art House Project): about 30 minutes.
 * Honmura to Benesse House: about 30 minutes. Try the high route that passes by the dam to see a surprising art exhibit near Benesse House . Start from the west side of Honmura, the first left after the Haisha art house.
 * Benesse House to Chichu Art Museum: about 20 minutes.

By bicycle
Information on bicycle rental in Naoshima is available online. There are 6 shops on the island that offer bicycle rental. Fees are ¥300-500/day for a push bike or ¥1,000/day for an electric bicycle.

By bus

 * Town Bus circumnavigates the island and costs ¥100. Press the button to indicate that you want to get off at the next stop. Corresponds to the ferry schedule. Check the schedule since this bus is not frequent.
 * Benesse House free shuttle bus operates approximately every 30 minutes between the major sights on the southern portion of the island.
 * Benesse House Hotel's guests bus goes around the major spots from Miyanoura Port to Chichu Art Museum via Honmura and Benesse House hotels.

See


Naoshima is famous for its contemporary art museums and its outdoor contemporary art installations throughout the island. Be sure to take photos of the giant red gourd near Miyanoura port and the giant yellow gourd on a pier at the southern edge of the island.

Museums
Like in most contemporary Japanese art museums, photography and touching the exhibits are prohibited.

Naoshima architecture
All public institution buildings on Naoshima are designed by Kazuhiro Ishii, an architect born in Tokyo 1944. These buildings are called "Naoshima architecture". Since they are public facilities, anyone can enter, tour, and use the facilities.
 * Naoshima Elementary school (1970)
 * Naoshima Kindergarten (elder class) (1974)
 * Town gymnasium (1976) Gymnasium belongs to Naoshima Junior High school
 * Naoshima Junior High School (1979)
 * Naoshima Town Hall (1982) Called "Naoshima Hiunkaku" because it was designed after Honganji Temple which is famous for the Hiunkaku tower and resembles a castle.
 * Naoshima Kindergarten (younger class) (1983)
 * Tsutsuji-so (1991) municipal cottage
 * Naoshima General Welfare Centre (1995)

Buy
There are several banks with ATMs and ATMs are also available in the convenience stores. The museums take credit cards but many shops do not.

Most shops close in the early evening and most of them are closed entirely on Sundays and Mondays. There is a convenience store, 7–11 in Miyanoura. There are also 2 small supermarkets called 'Co-op' in Miyanoura and Honmura.


 * Head shop at Washinomatsu, north of Miyanoura Port. Open M-Sa 10:00-19:30, Su 10:00-13:00.

Eat and drink
Almost all venues serve Japanese food only. Restaurants may have non-standard or irregular hours, such as being open only for lunch and so it is best to just walk around and find a place that is open. Restaurants accept last orders around 19:30-21:00 during the week and close even earlier on Sundays.

Sleep
It is recommended to book accommodation in advance, especially for weekend stays; however, many places do not have online booking or English-speaking staff. There are several dormitories and ryokan-style (sleep on a tatami mat) lodges on the island. Western-style accommodation is available across the sea, near the Uno Port in Tamano.

Cope
There is an extensive aged population on the island. Please be considerate and greet them warmly as you pass them.

The Miyanoura Port offers 56 lockers of various sizes for luggage storage.

Connect
Some accommodation options and cafes offer WiFi, while many do not. Free internet access at 2 computers is available at the Miyanoura port terminal ("Marine Station Naoshima") from 08:30 to 18:00. Free WiFi is available at the port terminal as well.

Go next

 * Okayama
 * Takamatsu
 * Teshima
 * Shodoshima
 * Tamano