Japan’s arty Seto Islands are an unmissable joy

Japan’s ‘art islands’ of Naoshima, Shōdoshima and Teshima need to be on every culture lover’s bucket list

I spent the greater part of my journey to Naoshima, revered nationally as Japan’s “art island”, wondering what could have garnered this tiny place such a weighty distinction. In a country so defined by its craft and artistry, I pictured some sort of enormous artists’ colony, all flowing kaftans and outdoor easels. I was wrong.
Disembarking the ferry, my first sight was a local bus – liveried with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s signature polka dots – speeding a group of gleeful Japanese pensioners to the next stop on a gallery tour. This was no artists’ retreat, but simply a place where every aspect of daily life is dedicated to the exhibition and enjoyment of contemporary art. It is – along with its neighbours, Teshima and Shōdoshima – considered Japan’s creative heartland, cherished by art-loving visitors from across the country and, increasingly, by foreign tourists too.
The archipelago’s journey to artistic renown was triggered, as is so often the case, by adversity. As with much of rural Japan, 20th Century industrialisation saw Naoshima face economic difficulty, worsened by the island’s declining population. In the 1980s, a lifeline materialised: Fukutake Publishing invested in the land, building a campsite for children with the assistance of architect Tadao Ando. A broader vision quickly spawned, and Naoshima soon blossomed into the creative hub it is today.
The south of the island quickly became saturated with galleries and museums, including the Lee Ufan Museum, the Ando Museum, and the renowned Benesse House Museum, where visitors can stay overnight, eat, and also bathe among Shinro Ohtake’s eclectic installations. By the sandy shores, one of Kusama’s iconic polka dot pumpkins juts out into the sea – an image now synonymous with the island itself.
But Naoshima’s appeal extends far beyond spotty squashes. I spent the day weaving through the Art House Project, where artists have reimagined structures once part of daily life. Hiroshi Sugimoto built a cascading glass staircase into the abandoned Go’o Shrine, and in an old house, Tatsuo Miyajima enshrined a small pool reflecting numbered-LED lights – a meditation on the passing of time. Seamlessly integrated, the art of Naoshima gestures backwards but moves forwards.
Next, I wandered to the neighbouring island of Teshima, where cultural development also began in the 1980s. Today, the island remains a key destination for the Setouchi Triennale art festival; home to the Teshima Art Museum and Teshima Yokoo House. Here also are outdoor installations like “Particles in the Air”, a surreal set of overlapping steel hoops hovering high above the ground.
Despite being the larger of the two islands, there’s a discernible remoteness to Teshima; its expanse providing an unknowability only enhanced by the art. Like Naoshima, however, Teshima’s art also pays homage to its past. As dusk settled, I explored the cavernous Needle Factory, which was abandoned in the 1980s and now houses a 17-metre long wooden hull, once used to manufacture fishing boats from Uwajima.
The following day, I decamped to the last of the three islands, Shōdoshima – one of the only places in Japan where olives can be grown, and best explored by bike (cheap rentals are available at the port). As part of the 2022 Setouchi Triennale art festival, Shōdoshima’s sprawling rice fields gave way to “Zero”, a capacious bamboo structure by Wang Wen-Chih. Walking through the installation is mimetic of what makes the islands such a joy to visit: the art and its landscape are fundamentally intertwined. At times, they are almost indistinguishable – the land mimicking the installations, reminding them that they are all part of a greater whole.
Before hopping back onto the ferry, I headed for Angel Road, a twisting sandbar that appears and disappears with the tides – a memorial to impermanence as poignant as any artwork. With an olive-flavoured ice lolly in hand, I strolled along the sand; my footsteps soon to be forgotten with the waves.
British Airways (ba.com) flies from London to Tokyo from £926 return. JetStar (jetstar.com) flies from Tokyo to Takamatsu from £27 one-way. Ferries from Takamatsu Port to the Seto islands run every two hours, with tickets from £3.50 one-way (shikoku-guide.com).
Espoir Park Hotel (00 81 90 7616 1734; teshimaespo.com) has double rooms from £65 per night. Benesse House (benesse-artsite.jp) has double rooms from £187 per night.

Explore hotels that have been tried, tested and rated by our experts

Trending now