Benesse House area
Naoshima, Japan
Home to the Ando-designed museum and boutique art hotel overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.
Places in Benesse House area
- Issen, Benesse House One of two restaurants at Benesse House, serving Japanese cuisine with sea views.
- Terrace, Benesse House Offers French cuisine at the Ando-designed museum-hotel.
- Benesse House lobby bar A refined bar setting within the museum-hotel overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.
Practical notes for Naoshima
- Best time to visit
- Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-November) offer comfortable weather, while the Setouchi Triennale art festival runs across three seasons.
- Getting around
- Naoshima is small and easily explored by the island's buses and rental electric bicycles.
- Currency
- Japanese Yen (¥)
- Language
- Japanese. English is limited outside the art museums.
- Timezone
- JST (UTC+9)
- Current trends
- Naoshima continues drawing culture-focused travellers for the Setouchi Triennale, one of Japan's largest art festivals, held in three seasons starting April 2025, while My Lodge Naoshima, a modern hilltop hotel that opened in 2020, adds Mediterranean dining with a Setouchi twist to the island's food scene.
Other neighborhoods in Naoshima
- Honmura — Home to Kon'nichiwa, feeling like a cosy living room for art travellers.
- Hilltop area (My Lodge) — Home to My Lodge Naoshima and its panoramic observation platform.
Read the full Naoshima guide