Railroad Journeys in Japan | Episode 19: Naoshima, Seto Inland Sea
To conclude my nine-day journey in the Seto Inland Sea, I made a stop at Naoshima on my way back to Yokohama. The last time I visited the island was in 2018, where I explored nearly all the museums and biked around for three days. This time, my objective was different—
I was conducting research on the real estate market. Prior to this trip, I was unable to locate any properties for sale on Naoshima and wanted to understand the reasons behind this scarcity. Monday is not an ideal day to visit Naoshima because most museums on the island are closed.
If you happen to be in the area, I recommend visiting Teshima instead, as it has impressive museums. Fortunately for me, I was able to secure accommodation and rent a car without any issues. My father and I came from Sagishima, an island off of Mihara in Hiroshima Prefecture.
We took a ferry to Mihara and then boarded the Shinkansen to Okayama. If you are coming from Tokyo or Osaka via Shinkansen, Okayama is also the station to get off. From Okayama, there are two ways to reach Naoshima. The first option is to take a local bus to Uno Port.
Although the bus makes frequent stops, there is no need for transfers. The second option is taking the JR Seto Ohashi Line, transferring to the JR Uno Line at Chaya-machi, and walking five minutes from Uno Station to Uno Port. In either case, it takes approximately one hour
And can be somewhat confusing for the first-time visitors. Upon arriving at Uno Port, there are two options to reach Naoshima. If your destination is on the west side of the island, take a ferry to Miyanoura Port. If you are heading to the east side, hop on a high-speed boat to Honmura Port.
Both options take 20 minutes and cost the same, but Miyanoura Port has more frequent ferry departures, making it the central hub of the island. I nearly missed my boat to Honmura Port due to unclear signage at the terminal, but a captain made a U-turn upon seeing us running frantically
—a gesture typical of small-town kindness. After running and sweating bullets, we finally reached Honmura Port. The terminal features an art structure resembling clouds For lunch, I visited Konichiwa, a charming cafe next to the port —one of the very few places open on Mondays.
This was also where I had lunch five years ago. Following lunch, I had a scheduled meeting with local government officials who run the Naoshima Akiya Bank and assist individuals planning to relocate to the town. They discussed the challenges the town faces, including issues related to “over tourism”
And a housing shortage for the current 3,000 residents. Homeowners tend to sell properties within their circles rather than listing them publicly. Hearing the government’s perspective firsthand was enlightening. Later, I checked into Ippuku Jaya, a guest house situated in the island’s quieter area. Reservations can only be made over the phone in Japanese
—a common practice for vacation houses on the island. The owner graciously picked us up and provided a tour of the spacious property, which he inherited from his family It was fascinating to hear his story about building this house out of 10 shipping containers.
While he used to run a cafe, it is currently closed. Stepping outside, the property is surrounded by a reservoir, trees, and cats. The guest house owner kindly dropped us off at Ougiya, the only rental car and bicycle shop open on Mondays, conveniently located across from Miyanoura Port,
The bustling area of the town. It was the same shop where I rented E-bikes five years ago. Naoshima is small enough to explore all major attractions by bicycle, and an E-bike is highly recommended due to the slopes. The staff accommodated my request to switch from E-bikes to a rent-a-car
When I learned about an approaching typhoon. I chose a cute red ladybug compact car resembling “Red Pumpkin” by Yayoi Kusama —the landmark at Miyanoura Port. With a couple of hours until sunset, we explored the Benesse House neighborhood, strolling to admire outdoor art installations. The most iconic is Yayoi Kusama’s “Yellow Pumpkin,”
Which had been washed away and damaged during a 2021 typhoon but was recreated with a sturdier fiberglass structure last year. Other large art installations include vibrant-colored sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle, Frog and Cat by Karel Appel, Drink a Cup of Tea by Kazuo Katase,
And Three Squares Vertical Diagonal by George Rickey and many more. The following morning, we drove along the Chichu Art Museum, appreciating the lotus pond reminiscent of water lily paintings by Claude Monet, which is displayed inside the museum. Annuals and perennials blended naturally along the museum entrance.
The ocean road from Chichu Art Museum to Miyanoura Port reminded me of fond memories from my family trip in 2018. My last appointment on the island was a realtor. I learned that not only are properties hard to find, but renovation or new construction can be costly
Due to the necessity of sourcing labor and construction materials from Okayama or Takamatsu. I am in Naoshima. Today is the last day of my nine-day trip to Setouchi Island. It has been so much fun traveling with my dad, and also my brother who joined a part of the trip.
Luckily we avoided a typhoon, and looks like another beautiful day today. We are going back to Yokohama. And with that, I conclude seven episodes of my Seto Inland Sea adventure. This trip is a small sample of hundreds of scattered islands. I would love to return to the area and explore more.
Naoshima is the last stop for my nine-day journey in the Seto Inland Sea. Because I explored nearly all the museums before, my objective for this trip was to conduct research on the real estate market. Before this trip, I was unable to locate any properties for sale on the island and wanted to understand the reasons behind this scarcity.
English and Japanese captions are available.
Railroad Journeys in Japan playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp2vxuJ_2xypoW9wtU7JeIbEkftF53B48
More info about this trip:
Directions to Naoshima
https://benesse-artsite.jp/en/access/
Konichiwa Café
http://konichiwa.jp/
Naoshima Colors (government guide for living on the island)
Ippuku Jaya (guest house – booking in Japanese)
https://naoshima-pension.com/#header
Ougiya (rental bicycles, motorcycles and cars)
https://ougiya-naoshima.jp/english/
Naoshima Art and Architecture
https://benesse-artsite.jp/en/art/