Written by Guest Blogger Karissa Stone.
Additional Naoshima tip: if you can, avoid visiting Naoshima on a Monday as the Main Museum and most of the restaurants are closed.
For the main museum, remember to book a timed entry ticket for the Chiku Art Museum or you’ll miss the main attraction.
Naoshima
We knew we wanted to take a trip to the elusive Naoshima island even before we moved to Japan a little more than a year ago.
We had heard from several friends back in the States about the Benesse House Hotel – and we loved the idea of staying in a hotel that doubled as a world-class art museum.
And there was the added appeal of spending time on a small, slower-paced island coming from bustling, busy Tokyo.
Normally this would be a trip where we would leave our two toddlers (aged 1 and 3.5 at the time) with their grandparents, but, in Japan, we don’t have the luxury of grandparents close-by, so we dragged the kids along. And despite a few moments when we questioned our sanity, looking back we are so glad to have had our cute little 3rd and 4th wheels tagging along for this art-filled island adventure . Our 4-year old now recognizes the “Naoshima pumpkins” (Yayoi Kusama pumpkins) all over Japan and still fondly reminisces about the fun ferry ride among some other memorable hands-on art installations that he experienced on Naoshima.
Planning our Trip
Our first step was booking a hotel room – and I recommend this as a first step to anyone considering this trip. After first perusing through the Benesse House hotel website, we could tell that it was a hotel in high demand.
The hotel’s website has a nice feature where you can see the availability of each room type for every single day in the upcoming year.
We found a room type that could accommodate 2 adults and 2 children and booked it for the first available weekend that we found, which ended up being at the end of July. The room type was a Beach Suite and was especially spacious by Japan standards.
The hotel also had a nice crib for our 1 year old which we reserved through the hotel in advance.
(Benesse House Hotel deck and view from our beach suite)
Where we stayed
If you are considering a trip to Naoshima, I highly recommend staying at the Benesse House,
I can’t speak to other accommodations on the island, but I do have family members who later traveled to Naoshima and stayed at an AirBnB-style accommodation and seemed to encounter more island transportation challenges, most likely because they didn’t have access to the Benesse House shuttle bus.
(The Oval at the Benesse House Hotel)
Getting to Naoshima
It took us almost 6 hours door to door from central Tokyo to the Benesse House Hotel.
The 6 hour journey definitely captivated the attention of our little ones as it involved a shinkansen, local train, ferry boat, and bus schedule – so although it was a long journey for a domestic trip, it stayed interesting and kept us moving and on our toes!
My little boys especially loved the local ferry which was also filled with cars.
For those wondering, this was our exact travel schedule
In case it’s useful for anyone, here is our exact schedule – I would double check train / ferry / shuttle times before proceeding, and better yet, if you are staying at the Benesse House Hotel, the hotel staff can assist with figuring out the most efficient time table.
7:17am – Depart Shinagawa station on Shinkansen
10:25am – Arrive Okayama Station
10:53am – Depart Okayama Station on Marine-Liner 23 for Takamatsu (track 8)
11:09am – Change trains at Chayamachi – to JR Uno Port Line
11:14am – JR Uno Port Line to Uno
11:45am – arrive at Uno Port (Once you get to Uno Port there are helpful people and signage all around directing you to Naoshima)
Walk 5 minutes across the street to Uno Port
11:55am – arrive at Uno Port / buy Ferry tickets
12:15pm – Ferry departs for Naoshima
12:35pm – Arrive at Naoshima
12:45pm – Pick up by Benesse House shuttle
Note: Once you are on Naoshima, taxis are very sparse so your transportation options are 1) rent a bicycle (which can be done at the main port) 2) Take the island shuttle bus, or Benesse House shuttle bus if you are staying at that hotel. We took the Benesse shuttle all around the island, and found that it ran frequently, but we had to plan all of our museum visits around this shuttle schedule.
What my husband and I loved about Naoshima
I would recommend Naoshima to all art novices and experts alike. Who wouldn’t enjoy the experience of putting on white leather slippers, then viewing a Monet in an underground cave on a remote Japanese island (!!) The island itself is really beautiful, and the vibe is laid-back, artsy, sophisticated, and a little quirky all at the same time… all while feeling really special and almost exclusive given that it can be a bit difficult to access.
(The Monet Room at the Chichu Museum – there were several more stunning Monets in the room as well)
Here is a great list of all the main art attractions on Noashima. With young kids, we had a lot of downtime for naps, and everything moved slower, so we didn’t even get to visit half of this list, but what we did visit, we loved. Even walking around the island (or the Benesse House Hotel grounds), you are guaranteed to encounter quite a bit of interesting art!
Highlights for us included the Chichu Art Museum, Teshima Art Museum, and the quirky-fun Naoshima Bath “I♥︎湯” We also loved that there were wide open spaces around the island for our kids to run around unobstructed and non-stop nature for them to enjoy.
(Warning: There are some explicit images in the changing rooms so might not be ideal for little ones)
( Naoshima Bath “I♥︎湯” – has to be the funkiest onsen in Japan! Warning: some explicit content in the changing rooms so might not be ideal for little ones)
(There’s a hot tub in the middle there. And yes – it’s open to the public during certain hours!)
What my kids loved about Naoshima
Much of the art on Naoshima is in the form of large, interactive outdoor installations – perfect for kids of all ages including babies and toddlers.
(My kids loved these large panels which you can turn in all directions)
Beyond the art, my kids really loved being at the beach (our room at the Benesse House Hotel was just a few yards from the seafront.
My toddler boys would have been thrilled throwing rocks and sticks into the ocean all day if we would have let them. The beach was a little rocky but still beautiful and a fun novelty for my city kids.
Again, all the different modes of transportation were a big hit with my little boys from the speedboat ferry to Teshima to to the large ferry from Uno to Noashima, shuttle buses, and trains.
Eating on Naoshima
Out of convenience we ate all of our breakfasts and dinners at the Benesse Hotel. I don’t believe they have western style high chairs, so we brought along this screw-on chair which was a lifesaver for our 1 year old at meals.
The breakfast was a simple buffet and the dinners were a little fancier, but come with an amazing ocean view!
We had one lunch at the Benesse Museum Cafe and one lunch at the Teshima Museum Cafe – neither had western style high chairs so be prepared. We spotted very few restaurants during our time on Naoshima and Teshima (and I don’t think I saw very many combinis, ie. Japanese convenience stores, or even a grocery store at that!) so be prepared with lots of snacks and a plan for where you will be eating.
(The Benesse House Hotel Restaurant)
Side Trip to the neighboring Art Island, Teshima
We only had 2.5 days in Naoshima, but after seeing some photos of the Teshima Art Museum, we knew we wanted to try to squeeze in a trip to Teshima, a neighboring art island about 20 minutes away by ferry boat. Again, we were at the mercy of the boat ferry and shuttle schedule, which meant we departed Naoshima around 9am and returned around 2pm. All to see one museum… it was aggressive (especially with 2 toddlers!) but again so worth it!
The museum (well it’s called a museum – but it’s only really one huge art installation that you can spend time inside of) really took our breath away. My husband and I both instantly agreed that if we didn’t have our two young kids with us, we would want to spend a few relaxing hours inside of the structure (named “Matrix” by artist Rei Naito). It was meditative, relaxing, transportive, and beautiful in unexpected ways. Even my 3 year old loved it and immediately knew it was a special experience for him. There was a short line to get into the “Matrix” with someone controlling the number of people entering the structure at all times to avoid crowds. I believe you can spend as long as you wish inside. There are no photos allowed, but it was too amazing not to sneak one in! (Shh – don’t tell!)
The island of Teshima felt even more remote and rustic than Naoshima with very few tourists, lots of gorgeous vegetation, and beautiful sea views at every turn. The main attraction there is really the museum.
Entrance to the Museum
After spending some time in the museum structure, we had a simple lunch at the Teshima Cafe. The Cafe is modeled after the main museum building so was fun for my little boys. They only have one or two things on the menu – we ordered the olive rice and some drinks and it did tide us over until we returned to Naoshima.
The shuttle bus around Teshima does not run very frequently, so we were careful to show up early and queue for the bus knowing that we wanted to make sure our little kids didn’t have to do any more waiting around. That really paid off as it seemed like there were more people wanting to get on our shuttle than could fit. There was also some down time at the ferry terminal as the shuttle bus schedule and ferry boat schedule did not exactly align, but again the extra effort was all worthwhile.
If you do go to Teshima, don’t miss the quaint and chic little shop “Teshima Marche” at the harbor (you won’t miss it, there aren’t really any other stores) – filled with delicious locally-made treats and lots of cute handcrafted souvenirs.
Additional Tips
Even if you don’t stay at the Benesse House Hotel, I highly recommend studying the entire Benesse House website before planning your trip. The Benesse Company oversees all art activity on Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima – they’re website is full of helpful information, ferry schedules, advance museum tickets, and really great suggested itineraries.
If you plan to go to the Chichu Art Museum (and you don’t want to miss it!) – make sure you get your tickets in advance here
Good to note that we went to Naoshima mid-July and it was hot hot hot and humid. Not an ideal climate for pushing a stroller and wearing a baby carrier, so if we were to do it again, I would pick a cooler month!
Also important to know before you go: many of the museums are closed one day of the week. Make sure to check the Naoshima art site calendar before planning your trip so you can visit at a time when most of them are open.
*Karissa Stone is a Tokyo-based mom of 2 young boys and a digital marketing consultant for luxury and lifestyle brands www.karissastone.com
From ‘The Tokyo Chapter’:
If you also love taking your family to see beautiful interactive art installations in Japan, I believe you will also love my post on the Hakone Open Air Museum and my post on Kanazawa with kids that includes the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
Would you also like to guest post for The Tokyo Chapter? Please send me an email at contactjoatthetokyochapter@gmail.com
I love connecting with other bloggers and I also love content that is either outside of my own realm or just helping someone get their message and info out into the world.
