I visited Naoshima last March 26 2025. The Chichu Art Museum designed by Tadao Ando was one of my priority destinations. It can be accessed by the Benesse shuttle bus, by bicycle or thru walking. It is located along side a hill. The atructure is embedded perfectly into the surrounding nature. They have a very strict no photographs and videos inside the art spaces. It is by far one of the most beautiful museum experiences ive ever had. The Monet Waterlilies with the perfectly cut white mosaic tiles around together with the daylight is very beautiful. Walter Di Maria's Granite garden and the Granite Sphere was a very mysterious experience. Finally the James Turrel Sky window space along with the purple rectangle was very fun. If you love art, i highly recommend visiting this in very good sunny weather.

Wow – an extraordinary place. The museum is a masterpiece of architecture, with a perfect play of space, natural and artificial light, and materiality. Every corner feels carefully crafted to create a unique spatial and emotional experience. The attention to detail is incredible – the precision of the surfaces and the subtle design elements are executed at the highest level. Even the restrooms are designed as an architectural experience, showing how much thought went into every part of the museum. A must-visit for anyone coming to Naoshima, and an absolute highlight for architecture and art lovers alike.

Don't skip this one! We were quite moved by some of the rooms. Incredible. Photos are only permitted in the beginning few rooms/spaces, so you will not see the best of it until you visit :)

What an incredible place! One of the best art galleries I've ever been to, and I've seen quite a few! It felt so refreshing that you can’t take photos inside (except in a small area near the entrance). Without cameras, you’re free to just wander, take it all in, and really feel the space. That sense of wonder stays with you long after you leave. I booked my ticket online about a month in advance and chose the first morning slot, just to be sure I had enough time to get there — with the ferry and art bus, it takes a bit of coordination. It’s also nice that there aren’t any official photos of the interior online. A few people have shared some anyway, breaking the rules, but mostly what you see stays in your memory — and that makes the experience even more personal and powerful. In some rooms, you have to take off your shoes, but they provide foot covers, so it’s handy to bring socks with you. There’s a lovely little restaurant too, with great food. You find a seat first, then order — and if you can, grab a table with a view of the Seto Inland Sea. It’s the perfect way to wrap up your visit. And the museum shop is nice too.

Buy all your tickets online on Naoshima to get a discount. For Chichu you need to book a time slot since only a certain number of visitors is allowed at a time. It is a small but charming museum housing three major sections. No photo is allowed inside so google it. They look amazing.

Without a doubt one of the best art museums I have ever visited - and I’ve seen a lot. Amazing architecture, amazing collection. Very minimalistic curated and in perfect balance with Tadao Ando’s design. DeMaria and Turrell as absolute highlights

Astonishing place ! The museum was built in 2004 with the aim to rethink the relationship between nature and people. Artworks by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria are on permanent display in this building designed by Tadao Ando.

A museum resulting from the collaboration between artist Lee Ufan and architect Tadao Ando. Created from the bare minimum of elements, Lee Ufan’s works are deeply intertwined with the museum itself, which gently connects the inside and the outside.

Nice museum with both indoor and outdoor exhibitions. You can cycle to within 200 m of the entrance, then park your bike and continue on foot. The Valley Gallery is located right next door.

Thoughtfully minimal and meditative: Lee Ufan’s works paired with Ando’s architecture create a calming space to reflect.  The way light, space and nature are integrated is subtle but powerful — a place to slow down rather than rush through. If you appreciate less-is-more, this museum is a gem.

Impressive architecture made by TADAO ANDO and inspiring, almost mystical pieces of art by LEE UFAN. The size of the museum is small, but this only adds more to the unique atmosphere. The entrance fee might appear over-priced, but if you are looking for a calming experience rather than a big exibition, you should visit the LEE UFAN MUSEUM!

The Lee Ufan Museum is a serene and striking space that blends minimalist art, architecture and nature. Designed by Tadao Ando, the building is partially embedded into the hillside, creating a calm, almost meditative atmosphere as you move through it. You can buy tickets online beforehand (which saves time) or scan the QR code at the welcome desk. Lee Ufan’s works—spare sculptures and subtle brushstroke paintings—are thoughtfully arranged to encourage slow, reflective viewing. The standout moment for me was encountering the archway sculpture outside, perfectly framing the sea and sky. It’s simple but breathtaking, and captures the spirit of the whole museum: still, spacious, and deeply connected to its surroundings. The museum isn’t huge (about 30 minutes to see), but it leaves a lasting impression. A must-visit on Naoshima for anyone who enjoys contemplative spaces and minimalist beauty.

Great little art museum. Not much in the way of exhibits but worthwhile seeing for the architecture alone

The reviews don't rate this museum highly, but I liked it here. It looked magnificent and majestic to me. So I recommend to visit. It is not necessary to buy tickets in advance, perhaps only because online they are with a smaller discount.

Benesse House is by far one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in, and without a doubt the best place to stay in the Seto Inland Sea. Our room featured artwork by world-class artists, and just stepping outside the door, we were surrounded by even more incredible pieces. On top of that, the breakfast and dinner were both delightful and refined. Every detail of the stay was truly perfect—an unforgettable experience for anyone who loves art, nature, and comfort.

A stunning blend of hotel and art museum/ the architecture alone (by Tadao Ando) is worth the visit.  The exhibition of site-specific works amid nature and sea views makes for a peaceful, immersive experience.  Even if you go just for the setting and a walk through the sculpture park, it’s unforgettable.

The museum and hotel look nice from outside, but really not worth the money. Hard to get there – cannot use bike up the hill, and walking in the heat is terrible. Shuttle bus comes only every 20 minutes, always full, so we wait long time, while hotel guest bus goes empty. Feels unfair. Inside the museum there is not so much to see, very small compared to the price you pay. Other museums on the island are cheaper, more friendly and better experience. Honestly, greedy and disappointing. Would not recommend.

Exceptional location, wonderful staff, delicious meals in a beautiful building--all in all a wonderful place to stay! IF you manage to book it, that is! One star off for the booking experience on the website, which is arcane and time consuming (even on their website it's difficult to understand and locate the 'availability slots'). It was time-consuming and stressful trying to book a room here, but in the end the 'benesse' experience (and high price) was worth it. The relaxing and communing with world-class art in a beautifully curated collection in a gorgeous location made up for the stress of booking.

A wonderful museum housing a modest but significant collection of modern art. A beautifully designed space gives life to the works. Don’t miss the outdoor works dotted around the site as these are all a joy. A lovely experience exploring the whole site.

We stayed in the hotel in the museum and it was one of the coolest experiences we’ve ever done. Spent 1 month in Japan in loads of nice hotels and this beat all of them given how unique it was. It was like living night at the museum

Benesse House Museum is a beautiful space. The architecture and the way natural light is used make it a perfect setting for the artworks on display. It feels like both the building and the art are in conversation with the landscape around them. One room that stood out to me in particular was the central cylindrical space, which I found absolutely striking. I highly recommend sitting there for a while and just taking it all in. If you go at 08:00, you might have the entire museum to yourself, which makes the experience even more special. 19:00 is also a great time to visit, as most hotel guests are having dinner and the place is nearly empty. I had the whole museum for myself and as it was getting darker, I felt like a curious wanderer, sneaking quietly through the museum while seeing the wealthy dine nearby.

Unfortunately the exposition was closed due to weather conditions so my review is slightly influenced by this misfortune. At least there were not many people and the static sculptures near the pumpkin were quite nice. But the view to the sea was spectacular.

An alright pumpkin. It's cool enough as an art piece, but I don't get its placement. It doesn't really feel relevant to the surroundings, and it seems any sculpture could have been there in its place. What I found more intriguing than the artwork itself was how people behave around it. The patient and curious visitors queuing up to take photos, and the variety of fun and silly poses. In my eyes, it was therefore the liveliness of the people visiting the pumpkin that made this an interesting art piece.

It felt surreal to see the Yellow Pumpkin on a hot August day! People patiently queued to take photos, each respecting others’ personal time with the artwork. One of my favourite moments in Japan. Loved the contrast of colours and the sky and sea as the backrop for the Pumpkin. It is quite tall!

Yellow pumpkin is the icon of Naoshima! An unique and powerful presence at the southern shore of the island. Why not come and take a look while you’re waiting for the free shuttle to the museums?

The pumpkin looks really cool during sunsets. The sea around is calm and beautiful which makes the entire view very scenic.

I’m impressive pumpkin but a HARD cycle - even on e-bikes - to get there as u can’t go around the side of the island when coming from the west/Miyanoura. I got sworn at a lot from my family in the process of making them do it but I think it was worth it, especially near sunset when we went. NOTE: when we visited you couldn’t go down the pier - access was closed so could only look from a distance

I loved this structure - wanted to buy a mini version of it. Also beautiful is the setting against the backdrop of the sea.

Seeing this in person was surreal. It was beautiful and with backdrop of the sea it was so lovely. Love how people can just freely take a picture with it.

Always so much joy and fun to see the wonderful Yayoi Kusama pieces ❤️🖤💛🖤🧚 See the pumpkin when it gets dark, its a hell of a pumpkin 🎃 Visit the yellow pumpkin on the other side of Naoshima, enjoy the beautiful beach there. The local bus will take your from one pumpkin to another:D

The red pumpkin is just as magnificent as the yellow pumpkin. If you’re a fan of Kusama Yayoi, it’s a pilgrimage to visit both pumpkins.

Both Yayoi Kusama and ginger ale are very special to me and so it was a pleasure to enjoy my favourite beverage in front of my favourite artist. I haven’t seen the pumpkins in person before and so it was wonderful to see while drinking simulated gourd in the form of the melon flavoured ginger ale. Spectacular experience

Travelled from Okayama Station. takes about 1.5hr in total. If you have a tight schedule like me cos I reserved tickets at Chichu Museum, suggest you keep to the right of the ferry at disembarkation so you can make it to the town bus stop quickly especially if it's a crowded day. The bus is small and I had to take the 2nd bus as it was crowded. The red pumpkin is at the ferry terminal whilst the yellow pumpkin is at the last stop on the town bus - Tsutsuji-so.

Cool structure - you can go in and pop out from holes

Upon arrival on the island, it's the first artwork you'll spot! Often, it has a crowd trying to take photos with it. If you're patient, let those crowd finish first while you look at other things. I promise by then you can almost have the whole pumpkin to yourself!

After a morning of visiting museums, we stopped here for lunch The view was incredible! And the bento box lunch was really a experience, a very complete meal, the food was great only the wagyu beef was a little dry to my liking

Had lunch and dinner here. Food is passable but not for the price they charged. Service was disorganised, had to wait for at least fifteen minutes (from our reserved time) for the first seating to finish. Then our dinner was sped through... the fastest kaiseki ever, completed in 1.25 hours as it was near closing time.

While the presentation of the food is nice, the food itself is passable at most. While some will enjoy the lavish seafood tastes, I did not. The menu is fixed and the whole service takes about 2 hours. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with this kind of pricetag... Will note that the service itself was good

Three course options to pick from, around 3k yen each. Frankly speaking, you're paying for the ambience rather than the food. The food is just ok.. I'd have hoped the sashimi is fresher and of better quality/types of fish, given that it's an upscale place. There's not many options for food around the Benesse Museum (there's a cafe which is more affordable), unless you don't mind paying more than you should for food, and want to take instagrammable shots, I wouldn't recommend. You can eat around the two ports where there are more food spots. That said, the service is really good!

Wonderful cafe with the cutest bento box we ever had. Three stories of pure cuteness and delicious food. Super!

Sublime Kaiseki menu- it's all well prepared and very delicious. The dessert could have been better but still 5* i would give.

Great setting and service - the food though I expected more from for the price

Don’t understand the bad reviews : guy is just normal. If you act well, he’ll treat you well I guess. And the udon is great !

Home made udon noodles, really delicious! The restaurant itself it‘s simple and authentic. The cook was very friendly and helpful. The beer was so cold!!

Handmade udon, the guy seemed to be working alone so he was a little busy. The udon tasted incredible, so springy and chewy. The tempura was also delicious and I am so glad we went here. The local working men use this restaurant a lot, there were lots of construction workers in there when I went and the food us so hearty that i can see why. I trusted the restaurant more because of the local clientele.

Udon were okay. The Chef was very impolite and not very welcoming!

A hearty udon at a fair price. It’s cafeteria style with some interesting tempura options, including sea bream which was great. They stock the Naoshima beer which goes nicely with the soup.

Best stumbled-upon ever. Legit and authentic food. My travel companions and I were literally fighting over the add-ons. Fortunately the add-ons were the only negatively impacted participants. This is the kind of place one wishes one could pack up and relocate in one’s home base.

Fantastic Fresh udon in the cafe. Made fresh every day and open until udon is finished ! ✨

The service was okay and the atmosphere was good, but the food was unfortunately mediocre. It did not impress me at all and is quite disappointing. If you prioritize dining experience over culinary thrills, this could be an option. Anyway, we dun have much options in this small island.

Very good service The lam chops are devine The rest are ok

Arguably the restaurant with the best vistas on the island. We caught the sunset over the beach from our table. Highlights of the degustation being the tempura fish and surprisingly — the chilled corn soup.

Had a great dinner with view to the sea and a clever menu designed by chef Moriya, very balanced combinations with fresh ingredients and artistic presentation. Early Summer Hors d’ oeuvre from Naoshima Chef’s special Plate Seasonal Soup Fish with vegetables Meat of the Day Pre Dessert Dessert

Sadly one of my worst reviews. The food is overpriced and average. It's one good point is that it is well presented. But the portions are small and we all left feeling hungry. With small portions, the food has to be inventive, complex and the taste out of this world. It was none of these. Lovely space though.

Well, either here or Issen, it is a captured market. Food was alright but not for the price. Service, could be improved. Seemed to be short of service staff, took a while to get their attention to order.

This restaurant has a nice setting and the meals are enjoyable, but not more. For the prices charged, the service and food quality is simply not up to par. They lack inspiration and are poorly executed. For example, the corn mousse served had been prepared too long in advance, so that there was a little bit of mousse on top of lots of liquid. The wine list is very limited. For example, the only three white wines are a Bergerac, a Sancerre, and a California Chardonnay (Bogle)... and they’re served too cold. But, it’s a captive market, you’re on a beautiful island, so forget about the price and enjoy!

The plates of food are carefully presented, but the taste is ordinary. It tastes like they are just tossing pasta with ready-made sauce in a large kitchen. It is a shame that it is just another cafe attached to a museum, although the young women working there are very efficient and clean, and the nice view is an element that attracts customers. I only wish they would put more effort into the food.

Wonderful cafe with the cutest bento box we ever had. Three stories of pure cuteness and delicious food. Super!

Awesome view eating in an architectural cool building. Food and drinks are ok... So come here for the view

The drinks iss ok. But icecream is next level. Plus the view. Voila!

Great space and friendly staff but the food quality is quite poor, especially for Japan. The Vegetables in the pasta were not well cooked and the sauce is not well seasoned. The matcha cake was dry and tasteless. The drinks and olive oil were the only redeeming items.

The view is amazing. One can also get a healthy lunch.

The rum cake was tasty and surprisingly strong. The ginger ale was sharp and spicy.