Private Tour

Guided Tour to Naoshima Art Island with Private Car

Overview

Available languages

English

8 hours

Mobile ticket

Discover Japan's celebrated art island, Naoshima, with an expert guide who brings rich insights from a museum background. Witness Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Red Pumpkin and explore world-class contemporary art in stunning spaces designed by Tadao Ando.

Travel in comfort via private car and ferry to three cultural landmarks: the subterranean Chichu Art Museum, the tranquil Lee Ufan Museum, and the hillside Benesse House Museum. These architectural masterpieces showcase works from Claude Monet to light-sensitive installations that shift with the seasons.

Your guide’s deep knowledge enhances each visit, offering valuable context on the art, architecture, and cultural impact of this unique island. Enjoy seamless transport from Uno Port and a full day immersed in Japan’s most inspiring fusion of art and nature, concluding at Miyanoura Port.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

In this tour, admission fee to the museum is not included.

Guide will suggest you several museums to visit and please discuss with him.

If you late over 10 min to the starting time, your booking will be treated as no show.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

What‘s Included

Pickup from Uno Port by your English-speaking guide

Private car

Admission tickets to Benesse, Chichu, and Lee Ufan Museum

Ferry ride from Uno port to Miyanoura Port

Transportation in Naoshima

Drop-off (Tour ends at Miyanoura port)

Ferry ride from Miyanoura port to Uno port

Food and beverages (at your own expense)

What To Expect

Naoshima-cho

The local guide will take you around the Island and museums and art-featured spots and sites giving you a more in depth knowledge that the other tourist cannot experience. Also, stop at a local restaurant and enjoy lunch with fresh produces.

2 hours • Admission Not Applicable

Chichu Art Museum

The Chichu Art Museum is a museum that focuses on the rethinking of relationship between nature and people. To avoid meshing with the scenery of the island the museum is mostly built underground. The museums holds artworks by the famous Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. What makes this museum interesting is how the appearance of art changes by the natural light that shines inside, which gives the museum a different aspect depending on the season.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

Options

Naoshima tour

Reviews

5.00

16 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Naoshima Day Trip
Flor R,
Jun 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
I had a wonderful experience on my trip to Naoshima! The island itself is beautiful and unique, and exploring it with my guide, Yoji, made it truly special. He was incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable, sharing fascinating insights about the art and culture throughout the tour. I highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Naoshima, it was one of the highlights of my trip!
Guided Naoshima day tour- highly recommended
William W,
May 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
The tour was led by Yoki, a very knowledgeable guide. He explained thoroughly the history and philosophy of each art work, which made the whole day a wonder experience
Had a great day!
Monique V,
Apr 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The guide spoke good english, gave lots of information and was very sympathetic. It is a full day with lots of walking but sea worth it!
Memorable Adventure
Craig B,
Apr 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Yoshi, our tour guide, blends knowledge, engaging personality, and a sense of wonder to create a memorable experience. His deep understanding of the art, history, and culture gave context to our tour. But it’s not just the facts—he uses an engaging, approachable style that makes the experience fun and relatable, sparking curiosity and interaction.
Efficient and Knowledgable
bobrobb,
Mar 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Yukon Ohama was a great tour guide - He lives on the island and could speak with great knowledge about the history and all the art installations - we had a really enjoyable day
Memorable experience
fionahh2014,
Oct 26, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A wonderful experience. Viator arranged the tour very efficiently. The tour guide, Mr Ohora, was very impressive. He is very knowledgeable about Naoshima; history, musuems and details of all the art works and installations. We thoroughly recommend.
Worth renting a car for a couple of hours
silverspire,
May 23, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We rented a car for 4 hours as it’s easier to get around the island with a party of 3. Prices are reasonable too. Bicycles many people cycle on the roads instead of footpaths. The island has a really laid back, chilled out vibe to it and I think it might be worth an overnight stay the next time we visit. Either that or spend 2 days looking through all the museums (and stay at uno port) Definitely worth a visit!!
How to visit Naishimo Island Right
JWhoLoves2Travel,
Apr 18, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The Art Island is a bit spread out so having guide made our day far more enjoyable than it would have been without. To make it even better, our guide Yoji studied art and gave us information that made everything much more relatable and fun. If you like contemporary art at all you will love this tour.
Elite tour
Kattokay,
Nov 22, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking a lot. Yugi is an expert and also a local. He himself is an artist and very passionate and knowledgeable about all of houses and museums he took us to. We were able to see more in less time because it is private. He picked us up at UNO port at 0910AM and drove us back to Naoshima port to catch the last ferry back to UNO port at 5:35 PM. Thank you Yuji!
Excellent
Taylan E,
Oct 4, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
Yoji Ohora was an excellent tour guide. We would like to come again. Art pieces in the island was masterpiece