Image: Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima
Benesse Art Site Naoshima has announced a day-trip architecture tour on Naoshima for November 2026, offering visitors access to a selection of public buildings and normally restricted sites on the island. The program, titled 'Naoshima Architecture Tour 2026', is scheduled for November 6, 13 and 27 and focuses on buildings designed by architects including Hiroshi Misono and Kazuhiro Ishii.
According to the tour listing, the itinerary brings participants to some of Naoshima’s best-known civic structures, beginning with the island’s education district and continuing to key public facilities around the island. The tour is framed around Naoshima’s built environment and its relationship to the island’s landscape, with the site describing the route as a way to learn about architectural features that have helped shape the island’s character.
Among the highlighted stops is 'Naoshima Hall', designed by Hiroshi Misono, which received the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize in 2017. The listing says the hall is used for community performances such as 'Noh' dance and sports activities, and that its design makes use of natural air circulation from the wind and water flow in the Honmura area. Also included are 'Naoshima Town Hall', designed by Kazuhiro Ishii and inspired by the motif of 'Hiyun-kaku', and the 'Naoshima Comprehensive Welfare Center', which the listing describes as the culmination of a long-running school-district concept.
The tour also covers the Naoshima educational district, where Ishii’s first work on the island, 'Naoshima Elementary School', is part of a wider group of school and childcare buildings. These include Naoshima Kindergarten, the junior high school and the gymnasium, which the site says were designed to fit the island’s landscape. Some of these facilities will be viewed from the outside only.
The program is a one-day tour with a fee of 5,000 yen per person, including transportation and the tour participation fee. Children under six are not permitted to join, and the tour is conducted in Japanese only. The minimum group size is four participants, and there is no accompanying tour conductor; instead, Benesse Art Site Naoshima staff will guide the visit locally.
The meeting point is Miyaura Port in Naoshima, with the tour ending either at Miyaura Port or Honmura. The listing also notes that some sites are narrow or require visitors to remove their shoes, and that access may be changed or cancelled if ferry services are disrupted or if safe operation cannot be assured. Benesse Art Site Naoshima says reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until 10 days before each departure or until capacity is reached.
