Islands and beaches

For an island trip in Japan, the Seto Inland Sea, between the main islands of Honshū and Shikoku and 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 by shinkansen (Japan's high-speed train) from Osaka, brings together Miyajima and its shrine built over the water, Naoshima and Teshima for contemporary art, Setoda and the Shimanami Kaidō island route, and the guntû, a floating ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) that cruises between them. Each island is 10 to 50 minutes away by boat, and each has its hotel in our selection. Allow two nights per island, or two to three nights aboard the guntû.

Four islands, four stays

The islands link up from west to east along the San'yō shinkansen line: Miyajima near Hiroshima, Setoda off Mihara and Onomichi, Naoshima off Okayama. That is the route of the Kyoto, Miyajima and the art islands in 10 days itinerary.

Miyajima, the shrine on the sea

Miyajima is 25 minutes by JR train (Japan Railways, the national rail companies) from Hiroshima, then 10 minutes by ferry; the city of Hatsukaichi adds a visitor tax of 100 ¥ (about 1 €) per person to the fare. A direct boat also runs from the Peace Memorial Park, in 45 minutes.

Itsukushima Shrine was founded in 593 according to tradition; its present buildings were raised on piles over the sea in 1168, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Its great torii, the gateway that marks the entrance to a Shintō shrine, stands in the water. The shrine opens at 6:30 and closes between 17:00 and 18:00 depending on the month; entry costs 300 ¥ (about 2 €). Two ropeways run up towards Mount Misen from 9:00 to 16:00, then a one-hour return walk leads to the summit.

Staying on the island changes the visit: you reach the shrine at opening time, before the day-trippers' boats, and see it lit up in the evening. A 30-minute night cruise passes the illuminated shrine and great torii, for 2,000 ¥ (about 12 €), booked at least 2 hours ahead. Iwasō, 3 minutes' walk from the shrine, has 38 rooms, including four wooden pavilions by the stream, and its own hot spring, a rarity on the island. KAI Miyajima, opened on 23 July 2026 on the opposite shore, looks out on the island from every room and has a rooftop open-air bath designed to seem to run into the sea. The Hiroshima and Miyajima page gives all the opening times.

Naoshima and Teshima, the art islands

Naoshima is 15 to 20 minutes by boat from Uno, near Okayama, or 50 minutes from Takamatsu, on Shikoku. The island owes its reputation to the museums of the architect Tadao Ando: the largely underground Chichu Art Museum, with five of Claude Monet's Water Lilies and works by James Turrell and Walter De Maria; the Naoshima New Museum of Art, opened in 2025; and the Benesse House Museum in the south, with Yayoi Kusama's Pumpkin. Teshima, 20 minutes away by boat, is home to the Teshima Art Museum, a building by Ryūe Nishizawa that holds a single work, Rei Naitō's Matrix.

Naoshima's museums close on Mondays and Teshima's on Tuesdays, and from Tuesday to Thursday between December and February. The Chichu and the Teshima museum are booked for a time slot. Our Art, architecture and design page details the museums, their hours and prices.

Benesse House, Tadao Ando's museum hotel opened in 1992, has 65 rooms in four buildings, from the museum itself to the Beach building, eight 61 m² suites by the water. Guests can visit the museum until 23:00.

Setoda and the island route

Setoda is a port of shipowners and salt makers on the island of Ikuchijima, halfway along the Shimanami Kaidō, the route that links Onomichi on Honshū to Shikoku by a chain of bridges from island to island. On the Shikoku side, the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge, opened in 1999, is made up of three suspension bridges with a total length of 4.1 km.

The port is explored on foot and by bike. Ten minutes' walk away, the three-storey pagoda of Kōjō-ji, built in 1432 by the Kobayakawa lords, is a National Treasure. Kōsan-ji, a temple built by an Osaka businessman in honour of his mother, opens from 9:00 to 17:00; its 1,800 ¥ (about 11 €) ticket includes the Miraishin no Oka hill and the Kongō-kan pavilion. Setoda is also Japan's leading lemon producer.

Azumi Setoda occupies the residence built in 1876 by the Horiuchi family, restored by the architect Shiro Miura. Its rooms of 50 to 70 m² all have a hinoki (Japanese cypress) bath, and the yubune public bath across the street is free for guests. The hotel rents bikes and e-bikes for the island route and offers lemon picking from October to early April.

The guntû: the islands from the water

The guntû is a 17-suite boat, every suite with a terrace at water level, designed by the architect Yasushi Horibe. It leaves Bella Vista Marina in Onomichi at 15:00 and returns around 11:00 on the last day, after two or three nights; in the evening it anchors off an island, without calling at another port. Meals, drinks and shore excursions are included.

From December 2026 to May 2027, its routes head west to Kaminoseki and Miyajima, through the centre among the Geiyo islands of the Shimanami Kaidō, on the old routes of the Murakami pirates, or east past Naoshima, Teshima and Shōdoshima. On 2 May 2027, a four-day cruise leaves for the festivals of the small islands, with village kabuki on Shōdoshima. Passengers must be at least 15. The guntû ends the 11-day honeymoon.

Beaches and swimming

Umika's selection has no beach hotel: on the Inland Sea, the sea is enjoyed first from a terrace, a bath or a boat. Naoshima has one managed beach: Kotohikijima, in the south of the island, around the Tsutsujiso lodge, is open for swimming from mid-July to late August, with toilets, showers and changing rooms; according to Naoshima's tourist office, there are no lifeguards and you swim at your own risk. At Benesse House, the Beach building stands by the water; it is closed from 4 January to 4 March 2027.

When to go

In Takamatsu, across from Naoshima, the 1991-2020 normals of the JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) give an average high of 19.8 °C in April, 24.8 °C in May, 23.2 °C in October and 17.5 °C in November; July and August go above 31 °C. Spring and autumn are best for walking between artworks, cycling and boat trips, and summer for swimming. When a typhoon passes, mostly in August and September, Inland Sea ferries may be suspended. This year's blossom dates are in our seasons guide.

Winter 2027 needs a look at the calendar: Benesse House is closed from 12 to 18 January 2027 and the Chichu Art Museum from 12 January to 19 March 2027.

Boats and trains

The Japan Rail Pass, the rail pass for foreign visitors, covers the JR West ferry to Miyajima; the other boats are paid separately. Our trains and Japan Rail Pass guide explains which journeys it covers, and our Rail journeys page shows how the islands link up from Kyoto.