JAPAN’S ART ISLANDS & TOKYO

• Discover the ‘art islands’ of the Seto Inland Sea, including Naoshima and Teshima, with the convenience of a private charter

• Experience exceptional displays of artistic creativity and inspiration by leading international and Japanese artists

• Admire elegant gardens, including the house museum of modernist Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi and the sculpted pines of the Edo-era Ritsurin garden

• Enjoy Tokyo’s cutting-edge collections of modern and contemporary art in its vibrant art quarters, including a number hand selected by your tour leader

• Take a day trip to Enoura Observatory to experience a magnificent immersive work by Hiroshi Sugimoto

• Enhance your appreciation by travelling with an Australian curator who specialises in contemporary Japanese art

WEDNESDAY 12 MAY 2027 – ARRIVAL (D)

Meet your tour leader Emily Wakeling in the arrivals hall at Takamatsu airport at 1.30pm, before travelling together by coach to Takamatsu. NB: flights to Takamatsu airport are not included in the cost of the tour. Both Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) fly regularly from Tokyo to Takamatsu and domestic flights are very efficiently operated in Japan. The flying time is approx. 1 hr and 40 minutes.

After checking in to our hotel, we take an orientation walk together. There is the opportunity to admire the Anabuki Arena, a deceptively simple design from the highly-regarded SANAA firm of architects of Takamatsu that has transformed a former landfill site. After welcome drinks in our hotel, there is dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Takamatsu.

THURSDAY 13 MAY – SCULPTURE PARKS & GARDENS OF SHIKOKU (B, L)

This morning we visit the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum. A prominent Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi established his workshop in the town of Mure, where he collaborated with skilled local stonemasons to create his innovative monolithic basalt and granite sculptures. A guided tour of the Garden Museum takes us to his workshop, a restored Edo-era storehouse, his residence, and the garden where 150 of his sculptures (many of which are unfinished) preserve the working atmosphere of his studio. After an early lunch together, we drive to nearby Yashima, a flat-topped mountain that offers panoramic views of Takamatsu and the Seto Inland Sea. There is also time to visit the Takamatsu Art Museum, which collects art based on three pillars: postwar contemporary art, world art from the twentieth century onwards, and arts and crafts of Kagawa Prefecture. The curator of the museum introduces us to the highly-regarded collection housing over 1,700 works across a range of media and genres, by artists including Lee Ufan and Kandinsky, as well as exquisite lacquerware utilising distinctive local techniques. The evening is at leisure and you might like to explore the neighbourhood around the museum for an independent dinner. Overnight Takamatsu.

FRIDAY 14 MAY – NAOSHIMA ART HOUSES (B, L)

This morning we return by private charter to the eastern shore of Naoshima, where we visit the Ando Museum and Art House Project, a collection of seven abandoned houses, scattered throughout the small neighbourhood, with contemporary artists converting their interiors into unique art installations. We also visit the Naoshima New Museum of Art, a three-storey structure designed by Tadao Ando which since its opening in late 2025 has displayed works from major collections of contemporary Asian art. After lunch together, we return to Takamatsu by private charter, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

SATURDAY 15 MAY – BENESSE ART SITES ON NAOSHIMA (B, L)

NB: the order of the visits to the Benesse Art Site may change according to booking availability.

This morning we take a private charter together for our first visit of Naoshima. The original ‘art island’ rehabilitated by the Benesse Foundation, it led the revival. In the morning we visit Tadao Ando’s site-specific Chichu Museum. Built underground with minimal impact on the landscape, it allows natural light to illuminate works by Walter De Maria, James Turrell and Monet. Ando also collaborated on the design of the Lee Ufan Museum, which features large installations of stone and iron set sympathetically into the surrounds. The artist’s paintings are housed in the subterranean gallery. Nearby is the new Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama, a beautiful meditation on self-reflection in the age of the endless selfie. We then enjoy lunch together in the restaurant of the Benesse House Museum, after which we are free to explore the museum’s contemporary paintings, sculpture and photography created by Japanese and international artists. There is time in the later afternoon to stroll the shoreline, where we see sculptures carefully placed to take advantage of the different views across the coastline. Returning to the hotel by our private charter, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

SUNDAY 16 MAY – ON TESHIMA (B, L)

This morning we travel by private charter to Teshima island to visit the Teshima Art Museum. A unique concept designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito, the building evokes the shape of a single drop of water and is an artwork itself. Sitting harmoniously in the environment, two oval openings allow wind, sound, and light to flow through the structure, bringing the natural world inside. We also visit Teshima Yokoo House, a traditional Japanese house by the harbour which has been converted into three exhibition spaces that cleverly use the building’s existing layout. After a simple lunch together, we continue to explore more of the featured works situated in the surrounding landscape, before returning to Takamatsu. In the afternoon, we visit Ritsurin Garden, designed in the Edo Period and frequently listed as one of Japan’s most beautiful traditional gardens. Returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

MONDAY 17 MAY – TO TOKYO (B)

We check out this morning and travel by private coach to Takamatsu airport for a group flight to Tokyo. On arrival we travel together to the Roppongi neighbourhood. Rising from the ashes of WWII, Roppongi is an international suburb of Tokyo with a global outlook and a vibrant contemporary art scene. Ascending to the 53rd floor of Mori Tower, we enjoy the panorama over the metropolis and explore the exhibitions on display at the privately-owned Mori Art Museum. We continue to our hotel. After check-in, there is an orientation stroll of the Asakusa neighbourhood that surround the beautiful Senso-ji Temple. While dinner is at leisure tonight, your tour leader will be able to help with suggestions for independent dining in the lively neighbourhood of our hotel. Overnight Tokyo.

TUESDAY 18 MAY – CONTEMPORARY ART IN TOKYO (B)

Today is dedicated to a survey of contemporary art in Tokyo. We first travel together to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOT), Japan’s largest museum dedicated to the subject. Over five floors, it showcases a vast range of post-war artwork by Japanese and international artists. After lunch at leisure nearby, we continue to the Sumida Hokusai Museum, designed by SANAA architects and with a temporary exhibition dedicated to the master’s sketchbooks. These had a significant influence on subsequent generations of artists, both in Japan and Europe. Pending exhibition schedules, we may also call in at a local commercial gallery. Overnight Tokyo.

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY – ART & DESIGN IN TOKYO (B)

We return today to the Roppongi neighbourhood in order to visit a number of significant art and design museums, but travel first to Artizon for a Monet exhibition that makes important connections between the work of the French master and those of modern Japanese artists. We also take in a number of significant works from Japan’s Edo and Meiji periods. Continuing in the afternoon we visit one of the many public or commercial galleries such as the National Art Center or Suntory Museum of Art subject to exhibition schedules. Returning to the hotel together, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Tokyo.

THURSDAY 20 MAY – ENOURA OBSERVATORY (B, L, D)

Today we take a full day excursion by private coach to Enoura Observatory. Just over two hours south of Tokyo and overlooking Sagami Bay, this extraordinary outdoor museum is oriented to the heavens and was founded in 2017 by senior Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. It combines contemporary art with site-specific architecture, inflected by Sugimoto’s deep knowledge and appreciation for the Japanese aesthetic tradition. Our visit today includes lunch. We return to Tokyo in the late afternoon and there is time to pack before a farewell dinner together, an opportunity to share the highlights of contemporary art that we have admired together. Overnight Tokyo.

FRIDAY 21 MAY – DEPARTURE (B)

Our tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in the hotel. A departure transfer to either Haneda or Narita airports is included for all tour participants; please contact us for more information and to book this service.

JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu 4* (5 nights)

https://www.jrclement.co.jp/takamatsu/en/

This hotel is perfectly located for our itinerary, in the modern town of Takamatsu. The Standard Twin rooms that we are holding for our group are a generous average of 30sqm in size.

Asakusa View Hotel Annex Rokku 4*, Tokyo (4 nights)

https://www.viewhotels.jp/asakusa-annex/

Asakusa is a vibrant neighbourhood with a modern face and ancient history. There are many options for easy independent dining nearby. We are holding Standard Twin rooms, an average 28sqm in size, in this modern property associated with the older Asakusa View hotel nearby. Guests of the Annex Rokku can take breakfast at both properties.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 9 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 7 lunches or dinners, including drinks

• All ground transport, ferry transfers, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Group coach transfer from Takamatsu airport to our hotel in Takamatsu, to commence the tour

• One-way flights in Economy class, from Takamatsu to Tokyo

• Individual departure transfer to either Haneda or Narita airports, on conclusion of the tour

• Assistance of a Japanese-speaking national guide throughout

• Commentary by and expertise of an Australian tour leader throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,000pp is due on 12 January 2027.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 26 February 2027.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.