Naoshima was the one day out of my entire trip which I planned out in advance. I pre-bought museum tickets, looked up train and ferry schedules, and made sure I had enough time to bike between attractions. Yet I still failed miserably accounting for how big the island is and how tiring it was walking and biking the entire day. Hindsight is 20/20 and I would do things differently if I were to ever go again.

Let’s backtrack to the morning of my trip. I was up early as usual and left the hotel around 8:00am to catch the train to Uno Station. After arriving at Uno, I followed the crowd over to the ferry terminal where I bought return tickets to Miyanoura Port. There was rain in the forecast that afternoon, so after arriving in Naoshima I beelined over to Kusama Yayoi’s Red Pumpkin to take photos first. 

Naoshima is divided into three main areas – Miyanoura Area, Museum Area and the Honmura Area. As the island is quite spread out, I decided early on I would rent an electric bike, which would help me get up the hilly parts of the island. What I didn’t account for was that the route between Chichu Art Museum and Benesse House Museum was inaccessible by bike, so it would be nearly impossible to find bike parking, make the museum entry times AND coordinate with the free (but infrequent) bus shuttles. I ended up walking that stretch, which was an absolute killer. I admit this is purely my own fault for not checking ahead of time, as I assumed having a bike meant I didn’t need to take the shuttle. 

After getting my bike rental and making sure I still knew how to ride, I was off to the Chichu Art Museum. At least I thought I was off to Chichu – I read the map wrong and had to backtrack, which added another 10 minutes to my ride lol. While there are signs throughout the island, I found that they were very limited. As someone incapable of reading maps, I would have appreciated more signage on the streets to direct me to the main areas.

I did make it to Chichu with enough time to spare, although the bike parking was further down from the entrance. If anyone has ever had to park a bike before in Japan, you will know the spacing can be quite tight and at this particular spot, there are no designated racks to hold the bikes up. So as I’m trying to steer my bike into a spot, I somehow knock over my bike, which in turn knocks down THE ENTIRE ROW OF BIKES NEXT TO IT. To say I was mortified was an understatement. To see the row of bikes falling like dominos in slow motion while you are unable to stop it is literally the worst feeling in the world. 

I imagine if I had just fled the scene I would be labeled the worst tourist ever. However, with the help of a girl who took pity on me, we did manage to straighten them out one by one (might I add that electric bikes are super heavy). I don’t think I will ever forget this act of kindness. <3

Thankfully I did end up making it inside Chichu on time. If there is one stop you should definitely pre-book it is Chichu, as it was my favourite museum on the island. The architecture and the way the light and the artwork interact makes the experience so unique, considering the museum is built underground. There are certain rooms where you have to remove your shoes or wait in line due to limited spacing, but I would not skip out on any of the exhibits. Sadly there’s no photos allowed inside, but there are lovely views of the island from their cafe. On the way back to the bike parking area there is also Chichu Garden, which features flowers that have been prominently featured in Monet’s works.

From Chichu I should have left my bike and taken the shuttle over to Benesse House. However, I had just missed the last bus before lunch and there was a 90-minute gap for the next bus, so I ended up biking to the North Gate, then walking the remainder of the way to Benesse. That walk was way longer than what the signs posted said. If there was one part of the day I could do over, it was definitely this stretch. By some miracle I did make it to Benesse, but since it was already 12:30pm, I went upstairs to their cafe for lunch first. Keeping with the Setouchi lemon theme, I had their lemon sauce pasta for ¥1,600. 

Later I spent around an hour wandering inside the museum, before I walked over to see the outdoor gallery, including the iconic yellow pumpkin. Again, the walk was killer and I almost didn’t make it to the Seaside Gallery, but I made sure to see all the pieces there. On the way back, I stopped to see the outdoor works at Lee Ufan Museum, but somehow forgot that the Valley Gallery was included in my admission to Benesse, that I accidentally skipped it. Oops. Again, there are many things I would redo if I were to go again. (^_^;)

I was still making decent time once I got back to the bike parking and picked up my bike. Next was biking up past the Naoshima Dam towards the Honmura Area, where I had my last admission ticket to one of the Art House Projects at 3:20pm. 

Again I got a bit lost before I finally made it to Minamidera. Even though it was supposed to rain that afternoon, it never ended up raining and the sun was still out in full force. I’m pretty sure this was when I got the most ridiculous sunburn on my wrists. Thankfully I still had time to spare before my entrance, so I grabbed a much needed iced coffee at Hifumiyo, where I had a really nice talk with a staff member and one of the regulars inside.

Nearing the entrance time, I made my way to Minamidera, which was one of the Art House Projects opened that day. I didn’t read anything about the installation prior to going and I had no idea it would be pitch black inside the space. My anxiety was nearly through the roof cause I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I didn’t chicken out as it was a really cool experience.

I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I finished all three museum entries I purchased advanced tickets for. While I could have fit in the Ando Museum, I was fully done after Minamidera. From Honmura I cycled back to Miyanoura Port, where I returned my bike. I had enough time to see the Naoshima Bath before boarding the ferry back to Uno.  

I was back at Okayama Station by 6:00pm and grabbed an early dinner of nigiri sushi at the station. And because I burned so many calories that day, I stopped by the supermarket afterwards to buy extra food for a late night snack.

Overall I really loved the art experiences in Naoshima, but I sucked with the logistics this time around. My advice to anyone going would be to book a stay in advance at the Benesse House Museum, as there are extra perks for hotel guests and you won’t be as rushed for time. Secondly, I would forgo the bikes and plan your itinerary around the bus schedule to save on energy. 

Regardless, I still had an amazing time and I’m so glad the weather held up. There are definitely worse ways to spend a day in Naoshima (I would think cycling in the rain is one), but unless you keep knocking over rows of electric bicycles, then I think any day is a good day to spend on the island.