Takamatsu & Naoshima in One Day
Ritsurin Garden as it opens, a bowl of Sanuki udon, then the ferry across the Seto Inland Sea to Naoshima's museums and the pumpkin on the pier.
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Takamatsu & Naoshima
Feudal garden, udon, then art on an island
For art and garden lovers with one day in Takamatsu who are happy to move early and catch the ferry on time.
1Ritsurin Garden
Ritsurin is two stops from Takamatsu Station on the JR Kotoku Line, or a 20-minute walk down the main avenue; it opens around sunrise, so be there by 7:30. Follow the south garden loop past six ponds and more than a thousand hand-shaped pines to the Hiraiho hill, the classic view over Engetsukyo bridge. The Kikugetsu-tei teahouse serves matcha on the pond from mid-morning.
1.5 HoursCost: ¥500–1,000
2Sanuki udon, early lunch
Walk back toward the station through the covered arcades and eat around 10:30, ahead of the office crowd. Takamatsu's udon shops are self-service: pick a bowl size, add tempura from the counter, pour the broth yourself and pay at the end. Kake udon with a slice of lemon and grated ginger is the local order; the chewy, square-cut noodles are the point.
45 MinutesCost: ¥500–1,000
3Ferry across the Seto Inland Sea
Takamatsu port is a five-minute walk from the station. Passenger ferries to Naoshima's Miyanoura port take about 50 minutes and run roughly every couple of hours, with a faster boat in between; take one around 12:00. Sit on the upper deck for the islands and the fish farms, and step off beside the red pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama, the first artwork of the afternoon.
1 HourCost: ¥500–1,000- 4
Benesse House and Chichu Art Museum
The island shuttle bus from Miyanoura takes 15 minutes to the museum area on the south coast. Chichu Art Museum is buried in a hillside by Tadao Ando and holds Monet's water lilies and a James Turrell sky room; entry is by timed ticket booked in advance, so reserve before you travel. Benesse House Museum next door needs no booking, and the yellow pumpkin sits on the pier below it.
2 HoursCost: ¥2,000–4,000 - 5
Art House Project in Honmura
Bus or walk 20 minutes over the hill to Honmura, the old fishing village on the east coast, around 15:30. Old houses, a temple and a former dentist's have been turned into installations; the Minamidera, another Ando building, keeps you in total darkness for ten minutes until the artwork appears. The combined ticket covers six of them. Ferries back to Takamatsu run into the evening.
1.5 HoursCost: ¥1,000–1,500
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥2,000–4,000
- Transport & ferry¥1,500–2,500
- Admissions¥4,000–6,500
Tips
Naoshima's museums close on Mondays, so build the day around the ferry timetable and the museum calendar, and note the last boat back to Takamatsu in your phone before you leave the port.
Ritsurin's paths are gravel and the island is hilly: flat trainers for both, and rent a bicycle at Miyanoura if you would rather ride than wait for the shuttle bus.
Eat udon before the ferry, not on the island: Naoshima's cafes are small and fill up at lunch, while Takamatsu's udon counters are cheapest and best before 11:00.
The yellow pumpkin faces the afternoon sun from the west, so shoot it after 14:00 from the pier steps; inside Chichu and the Art Houses photography is not allowed.