How Do You Get to Naoshima and Get Around the Island from Okayama and Takamatsu?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Naoshima, the art island in the Seto Inland Sea, and get around once they are there. It uses the English pages of the Naoshima Town Tourism Association and of Benesse Art Site Naoshima, read on 2026-10-04. Timetables change and ferries can be cancelled for weather, so check the operators' current schedules.

The short answer

The tourism association says you can reach Naoshima from Uno Port in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, if you come from Honshu, and from Takamatsu Port in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, if you come from Shikoku. Car ferries and passenger ships are operating. The island's ferry port is Miyanoura Port.

Getting to the port by train

The association gives these Shinkansen times to Okayama Station: Tokyo about 3 hours 25 minutes, Nagoya about 1 hour 50 minutes, Shin-Osaka about 50 minutes, Hiroshima about 40 minutes and Hakata about 1 hour 40 minutes. It then gives train, car and airport routes to Uno Port and Takamatsu Port, which we do not repeat because the pages give no timetables for them.

The crossing

• Uno to Miyanoura: 20 minutes by ferry or 15 minutes by small passenger boat. The one-way fare for the ferry or the small passenger boat is 370 yen.
• Takamatsu to Miyanoura: the association gives 50 minutes from Takamatsu to Naoshima and 60 minutes from Naoshima to Takamatsu. The ferry costs 680 yen one way and the high-speed passenger boat costs 1,590 yen one way.
• Teshima and Inujima: the association gives about 20 minutes between Naoshima and Teshima, at 820 yen one way, and 2,450 yen one way between Naoshima and Inujima.

Benesse Art Site Naoshima warns that boat schedules are subject to change or cancellation due to weather conditions such as strong winds and fog. It also says the ferry services may be less frequent than you expect.

Getting around the island

The association's FAQ says the main options are the bus and rental bicycles. Walking the southern half of the loop between the port and the art facilities takes 2 hours on foot, and it says the walk has many slopes and little shade, so it is best avoided especially in summer. There are only two taxis on the island, with a maximum capacity of nine people.

The town bus

The town bus is a community bus serving residents, with stops throughout the island. It runs between Miyanoura Port and Tsutsujiso, passing the Honmura district where the Art House Project is located. The fare is 100 yen per ride for adults and 50 yen for children aged 5 to elementary school age. You do not need a ticket: you drop coins into the fare box when you get off, and there is no change machine. The bus holds 28 people, so it may be full. The FAQ says that if you miss a bus you will wait 20 to 50 minutes for the next, and that there is no one-day pass.

Beyond the last stop

The town bus's final stop is Tsutsujiso. Beyond it lies the museum area. From there you travel on foot or use the Benesse Art Site Naoshima on-site shuttle bus. The association says that the museum shuttle bus does not operate on the museum's regular closing days, which are Mondays, and that the number of shuttle buses is limited, so not everyone will be able to board during peak season.

Bicycles, cars and luggage

The FAQ says that at Miyanoura Port there are rental bicycle businesses along the road where you disembark, and others in Honmura. It also says that during peak seasons all rental bicycles may be rented out by late morning, and that there are few flat roads on the island, so an ordinary city bicycle without gears would be very difficult. You can bring a car on the ferry, but you cannot drive to the Benesse House Museum or the Lee Ufan Museum; you park at Tsutsujiso or the Chichu Art Museum car park and use the free shuttle or walk. Parking at Miyanoura Port is 200 yen per day. Car reservations for the ferry are not possible: boarding is in the order you lined up, so long holidays can mean waiting. The association also says coin lockers are available at Umi no Eki Naoshima, so you can leave heavy luggage there.

Check before you go

• Check the ferry timetable for the day you travel, and the weather forecast.
• Check the opening calendar of the art facilities; the association says some are closed on Mondays.
• Buy tickets online for the facilities that need a reserved time.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Exact ferry departure times; the association's timetable listing on the page we read includes entries marked as suspended.
• Rental bicycle prices and which shops have children's bicycles.
• Whether boats run during bad weather on a particular day.

Related guides

• What is Naoshima? Benesse Art Site, Chichu and the Art House Project
• What is Naoshima like through the year? Closures, heat and summer fireworks

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. To those visiting Naoshima (Naoshima Town Tourism Association) — (ports)
2. Access (Naoshima Town Tourism Association) — (Shinkansen times)
3. Access from each port (Naoshima Town Tourism Association) — (fares, times)
4. Access on the island (Naoshima Town Tourism Association) — (town bus, shuttle)
5. FAQ (Naoshima Town Tourism Association) — (bus, bicycles, taxis, parking)
6. For First-Time Visitors (Benesse Art Site Naoshima) — (weather)