SHIKOKU & THE SETO INLAND SEA

• Explore the world-class art museums and installations on the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea, including Naoshima and Teshima

• Admire elegant gardens, at the house museum of modernist sculptor Isamu Noguchi, Edo period Ritsurin Garden and Okayama’s Korakuen garden

• Understand the enduring influence of legendary monk Kōbō Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism, at Ishiteji Temple on the Shikoku Henro pilgrim trail

• Uncover the rural charms of the Inland Sea, from Shikoku’s “Little Kyoto” in Edo-era Ozu to the feudal architecture of Matsuyama

• Reflect upon the devastating impact of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the Peace Memorial Museum, and visit the floating Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima

WEDNESDAY 13 MAY – ARRIVAL (D)

Meet your tour leader Dr Olivier Krischer in the arrivals hall at Takamatsu Airport at 1.30pm, before travelling together by coach to the Takamatsu Art Museum. It collects art based on three pillars: post-war contemporary art, world art from the twentieth century onwards, and the arts and crafts of Kagawa Prefecture. The highly regarded collection houses over 1,700 works across a range of media and genres, by artists including Lee Ufan and Wassily Kandinsky, as well as exquisite lacquerware that uses distinctive local techniques. Departing the museum, we check in to our hotel and enjoy a welcome dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Takamatsu.

THURSDAY 13 MAY – NAOSHIMA ART SITES (B, L)

Today we take the ferry to Naoshima and visit Tadao Ando’s site-specific Chichu Museum. Built underground with minimal impact on the landscape, it uses natural light to illuminate the works of Walter De Maria, James Turrell and paintings from Monet’s Water Lilies series. Ando also collaborated on the design of the Lee Ufan Museum, which features large installations of stone and iron set sympathetically into the surrounds, while the artist’s paintings are housed in the subterranean gallery. After lunch in the small township of Honmura we divide into two groups to visit Ando House and the Art House Project. From the outside Ando House looks like a traditional residence, blending perfectly into the streetscape. But inside, we see Ando’s signature style: the building combines concrete and wood with traditional design, juxtaposing past and present. The Art House Project matches a collection of seven abandoned houses, scattered throughout the neighbourhood, with contemporary artists who have converted their interiors into unique art installations. Later in the afternoon we visit the recently opened Naoshima New Museum of Art, the latest addition to the ever-expanding art sites on the island. After a day of exploring Naoshima, we return to Takamatsu for an evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

FRIDAY 15 MAY – TESHIMA (B)

This morning we board a ferry to Teshima 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, its two oval openings allow wind, sound, and light to flow through the structure, bringing the natural world inside. Next, we 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. It consists of the ‘Main House’, a ‘Warehouse’, ‘Outhouse’, stone garden, pond, and a cylindrical tower devoted to installations expanding across the entire site. After free time for lunch, we depart by ferry to visit the permanent art sites on Megajima before returning to the port at Takamatsu. This evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

SATURDAY 16 MAY – GARDENS & SCULPTURE (B, L)

This morning we visit the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum. A prominent Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi established his workshop in the small 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 period storehouse, his residence and the garden where 150 of his sculptures (many of which are unfinished) preserve the working atmosphere of his studio. We continue to Shikoku Mura, an extensive open-air museum that preserves traditional Edo and Meiji-era buildings that were relocated here from across Shikoku. After dining on a local noodle speciality for lunch we visit Ritsurin Park, considered one of Japan’s finest landscape gardens. Originally created during the early Edo period for the local feudal lord, the large “stroll garden” consists of numerous ponds, landscaped hills and pavilions, divided into Japanese and Western-style gardens with stunning rock arrangements and 1,400 carefully tended pine trees. After viewing the garden there is time to reflect on its beauty over refreshments in the tea house overlooking the ponds. Overnight Takamatsu.

SUNDAY 17 MAY – INUJIMA (B)

Today we board a ferry to explore the art offerings on the island of Inujima, including The Inujima Art House Project. It is comprised of five gallery spaces in refurbished or new buildings, transforming the town into a museum that fuses art and architecture with the natural landscape. Preserving its industrial heritage, the Seirensho Museum incorporates an art gallery in the ruins of a converted large scale copper refinery, reusing the existing smokestacks and discarded bricks in an ecologically sensitive way. The architectural design reflects the art displayed here, including a tribute to the novelist Yukio Mishima, who warned against Japan’s ongoing modernisation. There is time for lunch at the cafe before returning to Takamatsu. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Takamatsu.

MONDAY 18 MAY – TO MATSUYAMA (B, L)

We check out of the hotel and depart by coach for Matsuyama. Shikoku is a popular destination for pilgrims, with 88 temples that form a 1,200km-route circumnavigating the island. We stop at Ishiteji Temple, built in honour of the celebrated monk Kobo Daishi (Kūkai). This key figure of Japanese Buddhism is embodied in a large statue that presides over the temple grounds. We enter the temple via a stone bridge at the temple entrance and pass through the Niō Gate, a national treasure flanked by two giant straw sandals. Legend has it that touching the sandals will cure anyone afflicted with leg ailments. The main hall and pagoda date from the Kamakura period, when samurai culture became entrenched in Japan, and the treasure house contains a quirky collection of statuary and religious artefacts. After lunch we continue to Matsuyama Castle, considered one of Japan’s few remaining castles to have survived the post-feudal era intact (despite being destroyed by lightning in 1820). It is an excellent example of a seventeenth-century feudal castle, strategically positioned on Mt Katsuyama. Inside are displays on the castle’s history, including armour and weapons. We continue to our hotel and check in. This evening is at leisure. Overnight Matsuyama.

TUESDAY 19 MAY – AROUND MATSUYAMA (B, L)

Today we head to the charming old town of Ozu, where the paved alleyways are lined with well-preserved Edo and Meiji period merchant houses and samurai residences. Later we visit Garyu Sanso, a 1907 villa whose many traditional artistic features reference Kyoto’s famous imperial villas. A tranquil garden at the rear of the villa leads to a thatched-roof house named Furo-an, sitting atop a living tree as one of its pillars. Returning to Matsuyama, we visit the Ehime Museum of Art, which houses a collection of post-Edo period Japanese alongside works by international artist such Cézanne and Monet. This evening is at leisure. Overnight Matsuyama.

WEDNESDAY 20 MAY – UWAJIMA (B, L)

Today we head south to the coastal town of Uwajima. Our first stop is Nanrakuen Garden, created in the chosen kaiyu shiki style, characterised by large ponds and scenery designed to evoke the themes of mountain, village, city and sea. Our visit is timed to coincide with the iris festival, as 300,000 blossoms come into bloom. After sampling the local seafood specialities of the region at lunch, we visit Taga Jinja. This Shinto shrine is popular with those praying for longevity, good health and, in particular, fertility. It is unique due to the objects of worship on display, including a two-metre-long wooden phallus! The museum showcases a collection of adult-themed illustrations, graphic ukiyo-e or woodblock prints, and other historical objects from near and far. Feudalism forms an integral part of Japan’s history, and the Date Museum commemorates the Edo-era clan that ruled over Uwajima for 250 years. Among the exhibits are weapons, scroll paintings, maps and precious folding screens that belonged to the Date family. Departing Uwajima, we return to Matsuyama for an evening at leisure. Overnight Matsuyama.

THURSDAY 21 MAY – TO KURASHIKI (B, D)

After checking out we depart for Onomichi, travelling the Shimanami Kaido. This 60km-long series of bridges crosses six islands over the Seto Island Sea and connects Shikoku to Honshu. The density of temples in Onomichi belies the small size of the town, and we wander through its narrow lanes to explore a small section of the Temple Walk (which comprises of 25 temples in total!). After a break for refreshments, we continue to Kurashiki and explore the willow-lined canals and stone bridges of the Bikan Historical Quarter. With its many stylish shops and cafes, there is time to pause for lunch before we gather at the Museum of Folkcraft. Housed in a complex of eighteenth-century rice warehouses, the museum exhibits exquisitely crafted household items, local glassware, ceramics and textiles. At the Ohashi residence we gain an insight into the wealthy merchant class of Kurashiki, at this carefully restored machiya or townhouse that was built in an architectural style usually reserved for samurai. The prestigious building features large tatami-floored rooms, decorated with elegant scrolls and sliding doors that look out onto landscaped gardens. Arriving at the hotel, we check in before dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Kurashiki.

FRIDAY 22 MAY – OKAYAMA’S KORAKUEN GARDEN (B, L)

Our day commences at the Ohara Museum of Art, the oldest private art museum in Japan with a focus on Western art. Opened in 1930 by businessman and art patron Magosaburo Ohara, the museum’s extraordinary collection of Western masterpieces includes works by El Greco, Monet, Gauguin and Renoir, alongside Egyptian artefacts and Chinese antiques. Outside of Kurashiki we visit Kibitsu Jinja, known as the Momotaro Shrine. The legend of Momotaro is a beloved folktale that tells the story of a boy born in a peach; he later conquered the demon Ura on the site where the shrine – a designated national treasure – stands today. The entire region is still famous for its peach products, in Momotaro’s honour! Later we continue to Korakuen in Okayama, which in the pantheon of Japanese gardens ranks among its top three and is nationally designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. The 300-year-old stroll garden was built as a retreat for the local daimyo or feudal lord, and incorporates borrowed scenery from the surrounding landscape. There is also with a large carp-filled pond, bridges, teahouses, iris plantings and extensive lawns, perfectly encapsulating the historic aesthetic of the Japanese garden. Back in Kurashiki, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Kurashiki.

SATURDAY 23 MAY – TO HIROSHIMA (B, L)

On 6 August 1945, the course of history and of World War II changed forever, with the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Today we reflect upon the sobering enormity of this event as we visit the Peace Memorial Park, a serene space that memorialises the lives lost. We walk through the park from the Atomic Bomb Dome to the Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the history of Hiroshima and the moving stories of those who lived through it. At lunch we try okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake dish that is cooked on a teppan grill and considered a speciality of Hiroshima. Continuing to the hotel, we check in and have an evening at leisure. Overnight Hiroshima.

SUNDAY 24 MAY – MIYAJIMA (B, D)

Today we take the ferry across Hiroshima Bay to the sacred island of Miyajima, famed for its giant vermilion torii gate. Appearing to float on the water at high tide is the nearby Itsukushima Shrine, also painted an iconic vermilion. There is time to wander the small shopping street and sample the local steamed oysters for lunch before we ascend Mt Misen by ropeway, for spectacular views over the island and Seto Inland Sea. Returning to Hiroshima by ferry, we gather this evening for a farewell diner. Overnight Hiroshima.

MONDAY 25 MAY – DEPARTURE (B)

Our tour concludes after breakfast in the hotel.

JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu 4* (5 nights)

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

ANA Crowne Plaza 4*, Matsuyama (2 nights)

https://www.anacpmatsuyama.com/english/

Royal Art Hotel 4* Kurashiki, 2 nights

https://royal-art-hotel.co.jp/en/

Rhiga Royal 4* Hiroshima, 2 nights

https://www.rihga.co.jp/hiroshima

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

There are few true matrimonial-sized double beds in Japanese hotels. The norm is instead a “Hollywood twin”, two joined single beds. If you prefer to share a true matrimonial double, please let us know at the time of your booking and we will make every effort to secure one for you throughout.

• 12 nights’ accommodation in 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 10 lunches or dinners, including drinks

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

• Ferry charters to the art islands

• Expertise of a Japanese-speaking Australian tour leader and art expert throughout

• Assistance of an English-speaking national guide 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 13 January 2026.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 27 February 2026.

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