Art House Project

Top choice in Naoshima


In Honmura, half a dozen traditional buildings have been turned over to contemporary artists to use as the setting for creative installations, often incorporating local history. Highlights include Shinro Ohtake's shack-like Haisha, its Statue of Liberty sculpture rising up through the levels of the house; James Turrell's experiment with light in Minamidera, where you enter in total darkness...and wait; and Hiroshi Sugimoto's play on the traditional Go'o Shrine, with a glass staircase and narrow underground 'Stone Chamber'.

The sites are within walking distance of each other. Take the Naoshima bus to the Nōkyō-mae stop to start exploring. Buy a ticket at the tourist counter in the Miyanoura ferry terminal, at Honmura Lounge, or at the tobacco shop near the bus stop.