We're going to Japan May 5 - 20. Has anyone visited the island of Naoshima? I've read about the Benesse art site and it sounds terrific. Also, I'm thinking about visiting Matsuyama (partly because the Rough Guide says that if you can only visit one place in Shikoku, it should be there). Any comments? We have two weeks in Japan (first time, though several trips to SE Asia) and aside from Tokyo - Kyoto - Nara - Himeji, we want to have temple break and be in some place that is calm and beautiful. The alternate plan (instead of Naoshima and Matsuyama) is Takayama and Shirakawago, and I have read lots of helpful posts on those places (thank you!). One more question: does anyone recommend any MUST SEE ceramic spots? Thanks in advance for your always helpful hints.

Maysuyama was lovely and the fast ferry from Miyajima was a highlight of our trip. Beppu was also wonderful and of course I give high votes for Kanazawa and Takayama (Shirakawago was nice for a day trip).

ah, Naoshima. Broke my heart. I wanted so much to go there on my last trip to Japan w/my artist daughter. I planned around staying there overnight, but then found out that Benesse was closed for renovations the exact two weeks we were going to be in Japan last spring.

Are you thinking of a day trip there, and if so, from where? Or are you thinking of staying overnight? There are some minshuku on the island if you are interested.

Here is a post I did last year for someone on here who was interested in going to Naoshima:

Author: emd
Date: 04/25/2006, 12:07 pm
From Kyoto, take the JR train to Okayama, switch to JR Uno line, take that to Uno station, walk 5 min. to the Uno port, and then take the ferry 20 min. (it is not JR ferry so there is a charge) from there to Naoshima. This is all on the Naoshima site, under the heading "access" at:

http://www.naoshima-is.co.jp/english/first.html

If you are just visiting for the day, it is not expensive if you have a JR pass for the trains. If you stay overnight at Benesse, it is relatively expensive. The only less expensive option, the Seaside villas (which were like Turkish yurt structures) have been closed and several new hotel bldgs. designed by Ando are now open, all pricey.

You could potentially do this as a very long day trip from Kyoto (I researched that option), but you need to leave Kyoto very early and be aware of getting off of the island by ferry in time to make your return trip to Kyoto. It would be much better to stay overnight, either at Bennesse, or in one of the few minshuku (Japanese style B&B) on the island (no English reservations online, but can be reserved in Japanese online). Or another option is to go on to Takamatsu (from Naoshima, take the Shikoku Shisen ferry, 50 min.) on the island of Shikoku to stay there overnight and return to Kyoto the next morning. In that case, the return portion from Takamatsu to Kyoto is completely by train, no ferries involved, and you get the pleasure of going over the Seto-Ohashi bridge on the train, an experience in itself.

I have not encountered anyone on this board who has been to Naoshima and Benesse. But check the www.japan-guide.com forum. And www.virtualtoursit.com has good first-hand info on their forum also.

On our 2 week trip to Japan, Matsuyama was (along with Hiroshima) one of my favourite places.

What I really liked was that it was a laid back city with a great restaurant/bar area to wander around in.

GBL, you should read this:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-806.pdf

We are off to Japan today - thanks to all for input they have given. We shall stay at Benesse Oval (it looks wonderful!) on the 25th. I have read lots about it and we have even booked for the Cultural Melting Pot experience - like an outside jacuzzi on a hill I think!! It all looks so interesting! If you are thinking to book just be aware that like many places in Japan it seems, several of the sites are closed on Mondays - as we are there Sunday to Maonday we aim to arrive early on Sunday & do the museums, then do the outdoor installations on the Monday. I will try to give further information on our return.

Wonderful! PLEASE give us a report on Benesse when you return. You'll be the first one on this board to have gone (unless someone else pipes up), and I really would love to hear your experience!

Thanks for your detailed responses emd, and to all the others for suggestions. janey, I look forward to your report! So exciting that you're going. I would definitely stay overnight somewhere (not a day trip). Has anyone explored Shikoku beyond Matsuyama? Any recommendations? Thanks again!

Here is the portion of my trip report of 4/06 re going to Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku:

At Kyoto Station we boarded the JR Hikari shin to Okayama at 7:40, arriving at close to 9 am. There, we had about 10 min. to catch the Marine liner train to Takamatsu (there is another name for this train, but it is commonly referred to as the Marine liner). The Marine liner took about another hr. to reach Takamatsu at 10 a.m. via the Seto Ohashi bridge.

What can I say to describe the ride on (under actually) the Seto Ohashi Bridge? Mrwunrfl had told me not to miss it. He was right. It is AMAZING, and I am not a fan of riding in a vehicle on bridges. It is a double decker bridge, and the train rides on the lower portion, going over 5 small islands in the Inland Sea. It is not one bridge really, it is a series of suspension bridges. I had done a little research on this bridge and knew that it was decided to construct this bridge in 1955, after 171 lives were lost when a ferry sank off the coast of Takamatsu, and it was decided that a safer crossing to Shikoku was needed. It took 13 million (!) workers (and the lives of 13 of them), 7 billion dollars, and 10 years (1978 to ’88) to build it. It is the worlds longest two tiered bridge system. Even someone who is skiddish on bridges (me) can appreciate that. The ride was the most amazing train ride I have ever experienced. DO NOT miss the opportunity to cross on this bridge! I am already planning to do it again when I go back next year to further explore some of the islands of the Inland sea, like Awaji, Naoshima, Shodo, and Shikoku.

We arrived at Takamatsu at about 10 am. Our hotel, the ANA Clemont, was across from the station and just one block away from the coast. I thought we would be leaving our bags and going out for the day, but the desk man said (well, motioned, he spoke very little English but I understood) that we could go ahead and get in the room. We had a nice 16th floor rm. w/a beautiful view of the sea, just what I had asked for in my online reservation and emails w/someone who spoke/wrote very good English. This hotel gives a 10% discount for JR pass holders and also for those flying into the country on ANA airlines, both of which we had, but they also have a “Visit Japan” rate which was even cheaper than using the above discounts.

I paid the equivalent of $155 for the night, which I thought was a great bargain for the quality of this hotel and room and our stunning view. We were in the hotel in the morning, late afternoon, and at night and each time the appearance of the sea and sky was different and facinating. There is a nice fountain in the lobby, and it is a very very attractive hotel. The colors are very relaxing, lots of blues and golds and woodtones in the common areas. Our room was bright and cheerful (warm golden yellow paint), spacious, w/nice pale modern furniture, great linens, w/views of the sea from the floor to ceiling windows in both the sleeping area and the window in the bathrm.!! Cool!! I think we got upgraded (perhaps because we flew ANA?). I do not think this was the room I actually reserved, but I certainly did not press and ask questions about that. I really liked this hotel. Staff were very friendly (much more so than at the Okura and Westins on Honshu, where people are more businesslike) and some spoke some English, although we could not reliably depend on always having someone at the desk who spoke it. The location next to the train station was great for people like us who are only staying one night.

We unloaded our stuff in the room and immediately took the JR train back two stops to Ritsurin Koen station and went to Ritsurin Park. I thought I had seen the highlight of the day with the Seto Ohashi bridge, but this park tied with the bridge. It was absolutely lovely and there were few people there. For someone like me who likes to garden and loves water in a garden, it is heaven. This park was developed in the Edo period and it shows it. It rests right next to a mountain, making the setting tres impressive. The arched walking Crescent Moon walking bridge that crosses from one area of the park and over the pond (there are 6 ponds I think) to another area is really cool, as is the small red plum grove bridge. There are many bridges like those in the park. Forests of dwarf pine trees that look like you are walking through a bonsai forest. There are gorgeous fenced paths and lots of birdlife. There were cherry blossoms in bloom and other flowers; I would really like to see the iris in bloom in this park in June sometime. One surprise is that we saw some bamboo groves and a waterfall. We also visited the folkcraft museum, w/pottery and other handicraft exhibited. The different colors of this park are just phenomenal- every time you turn a corner or cross a bridge or get to the end of a fenced path, the colors and textures change. We did not do the tea ceremony but the tea house (Kikugetsu-tei), built in the Edo period, sits right next to the main pond and is just stunning. The trip to the park is alone worth going to Shikoku!! We spent much longer than we planned to here, 3 hrs., and I could have stayed much much longer (and I want to go back!)

It was about 2:30 and we were hungry. We decided to head to the l-o-n-g covered shopping arcade street (the longest in Japan, total 2.7 km, with several streets that branch off to left and right at various points) that is a famous landmark for Takamatsu. Wew took the Kotoden train from near the park to Kawaramachi station. The shopping streets did not disappoint us. This place is pretty amazing and very nice to shop in, w/high ceilings, and it is very modern, spacious, clean, and it is paved. Lots of traditional food stores, clothes boutiques, cool stores, and restaurants. We ate at a combination soup and Chinese food restaurant and had a pretty good and inexpensive tofu meal w/veggies and a sauce (wish we could have found this type of dish more often on the trip for Celine’s sake). This was one of our favorite places to shop of the whole trip (second only to Toji temple market). It would be a great place to spend a rainy day. As it was, this was a very good weather day, sunny and not too windy, and pretty warm. So we decided to finish shopping and try to be back at the hotel around dusk to see the view from the room then. We took the the Kotoden line back to the area around the hotel.

We got back to the room about 6 pm. The view from our room was mind-blowing. The sun was starting to set somewhere behind the hotel and as we looked out at the coastline and sea from our room the whole sky close to the horizon and water was lit up in light orange colors and different colors of blue. We decided to stay in and watch the spectacle, and we literally sat by the window for about an hour doing so. I think I pretty much fell in love w/the inland sea at that point. It was so peaceful and pretty, and I wished we had a balcony to go out on.

We decided to go back out at about 7:30 and took the Kotoden train from Takamatsu Chikko station (very close to the hotel) 3 stops to Kataharamachi station and went back to the shopping streets. We found some cool bronze statues and a glass sculpture on display in one area of the shopping arcade and a cool large public clock. Clearly, the city has made this a very appealing place to be, and there were still many people there, going out to eat and shop after work. We struck up a conversation w/a woman who spoke broken English in one of the rest areas w/benches. I am not completely sure what she was telling us but I think she was trying to tell us about Shikoku-Mura, which I told her we intended to see the next day. We found a great dessert bar and each had a decedant piece of dessert cake.

We took the train 2 stops and walked back to the hotel. There were still a lot of people walking the streets. When we got back to the room, we were treated to the nighttime view of the sea, w/mysterious red lights out on the water. I am not sure what they were, perhaps boats or buoys, or lights from Megijima island, which is 4 miles offshore? It was coudy that night but we were able to see some of what I think was moon glow on the water also. It was a really lovely site. I think this was one of my 3 favorite nights in Japan so far, the other two being the night I went to Tokyo Tower w/my son and the night we went to the light up festival (Hana-Touro) in Kyoto last year (that night is still my #1 favorite experience in Japan).

This day and the next one were two of the nicest and most relaxing days on the trip. I ended up really liking Takamatsu and loved the ever changing view (different at every time of the day) from the hotel room.

Day 14, Thurs., 4/20/06

We got up at 8 a.m. as we had a 10 am appointment at the Osamu Noguchi Garden Museum outside of Takamatsu. After a fruit and pastry breakfast in the room while staring at the inland sea and coastline (again, beautiful in the early morning light) and sadly checking out of our nice hotel, leaving our luggage there and catching a cab outside the JR station to go to the museum (a little over 20 min.). I would have liked to have taken the JR line to Yashima station and then taken a cab for just 10 min. to the museum, but I was worried that maybe there wouldn’t be a cab at that station and I had read stories about people having a hard time finding and getting to this museum (although they have a good access map on their site). And since we had a timed appt. which I had made by email months earlier I knew we would miss out on the opportunity if we were late. The cab was about $20.

As many of you know, I really wanted to take Celine to Naoshima Island on this trip to see the Bennese Art museum and art installations/sculptures all over that island in the Inland Sea. But much to my disappointment, that museum and the hotel affiliated w/it was closed for the exact same two wks we were in Japan, as they were building two new hotels at the site. I found the Isamu Noguchi museum online and this was to be our “substitute” for Bennesee.

The museum worker who met us at the museum was very kind and spoke English. She gave us literature on the sculptures and walked us around to show us and tell us about the sculpture. There are a few bldgs at the site, including the one where Isamu lived and worked. Many of the sculptures are outdoors, set up in garden areas and sand zen gardens. His works at this museum are mostly large stone pieces, sometimes parts of the stones are left uncarved and in their original state, and some stone pieces are very polished and totally worked. I loved this sculpture, esp. the “void” sculptures. These “voids” are made of stone/granite and are like loops or forms that have a hole in the middle, very zen-like, very contemplative. My favorite sculptures were a void shaped in a circle that had coral and black rings (like a coral snake) and the Energy Void. The tour lastest an hr. 2100 yen for me; free for Celine. Well worth it if you enjoy sculpture as we do. Only open Tues, Thurs, and Sat. and appt must be made at least two weeks ahead.

We then took a cab (which had been called for us at the museum) going back towards Takamatsu, to Shikoku-Mura, at the base of the Yashima Plateau, Shikoku-mura is a group of old bldgs from around Shikoku that have been preserved and moved to this site. They are residential bldgs from the Edo and Meiji eras. I had also read horror stories of people looking for this place on foot and never finding it, and decided that we should cab it there, although it is apparently only a 10 min. walk from a station on the Kotaden line and 15-20 min. walk from the corresponding JR line station, but I could not find any maps of how to walk there, and the Yashima plateau area is a BIG place. There is a storehouse, a kabuki theater, a farmhouse w/traditional farming tools, a thatched roof house, a suspension bridge from Iya Valley made of some kind of thick huge vines, a bldg. used for sugar cane pressing (complete w/tools used), a tea hall, a watermill, and several other bldgs. and a lighthouse. It was pretty deserted while we were there, just a few other people. All of the bldgs are meticulously maintained and all have associated tools and living items in them, as if people could just walk back in and live and work in them. It was fascinating, and we both liked this glimpse into Shikoku’s past. It took us about 2 hrs to go through here. I highly recommend it.

After this we really wanted to go up the Yashima plateau to see the view of the sea and Takamatsu from there, but something was wrong w/the tram that goes up there and we could not go. The lady at the Sculpture Garden thankfully alerted us to that. I want to go back there and see the views and throw and break the clay discs, some kind of tradition that people do at the top of the plateau.

We were hungry at this point as it was about 2 pm, so we headed back to Takamatsu, this time by train, as we were able to find our way to the train station w/some guidance again from the lady at the sculpture museum who had a map of the Yashima area. I felt a little more comfortable using her directions to get back to the train station instead of to Shikoku-mura, and at this point I had no option as there were no taxis anywhere around Shikoku-Mura. So off we went, and we got pretty lost, but eventually found the tracks and then the station. We could not however find the JR station, so we ended up going back to the city on the other local train line.

Once back in Takamatsu we had udon (Takamatsu is known for its udon noodles) for lunch at a little shop close to the station and went to Takamatsu-jo, the town’s castle. It is right next door to the Kotoden station and very close to the JR station (all of this being a one min. walk from our hotel). It was originally right on the sea, and is surrounded by moats. Only the foundation, surrounded by moats and water, remain of this castle but there is a cool little shrine on top, and a stunningly beautiful turret with a stone base, which looks like a white 3 story pagoda and was used for viewing the moon. The seaside setting and gardens around the castle are lovely and we found a small stone bridge we really liked, and sat down there to drink some water and rest. It is really strange to see this huge stone castle base when right behind it are large city buildings. Celine noticed that both the castle base and high city bldgs reflected into the water around the castle, quite a dichotomy. We both really enjoyed what is left of this castle.

It was around 4 p.m. and we got our luggage from the hotel and said goodbye to Takamatsu. We caught the 4:38 Marine liner to Okayama, switched to the Hikari Shin. and got back to Kyoto at around 7:30. I LOVED Takamatsu and the Inland Sea! Takamatsu is a nice little cosmopolitan city, just the right size, w/lots of interesting things to do in the city and surrounding it. We did not scratch the surface on what there is to do. I want to go back again!

Janev, oh yes, please post your trip report when you're back. Benesse is one of my dream destinations (I even use the pumpkin sculpture as my desktop background!) so I can't wait to hear about your experience. Have a great trip!

EMD, thanks for re-posting your experience. Maybe someday we'll both make it there!

Wonderful trip report emd about Takamatsu. You have inspired me to include that spectacular train ride. I will attempt a loop. So much to see, so little time... thanks to everyone for such generous contributions.