Teshima, Ogijima and Megijima: The Art Islands Beyond Naoshima (Ferries, Booking and What’s Open in 2026)

Quick answer: Beyond Naoshima, three art islands are easy to reach from Takamatsu. Teshima has the Teshima Art Museum (¥1,800 online, timed booking required). Megijima (20 minutes, ¥370) and Ogijima (40 minutes, ¥510) share the same ferry. Between Triennales, most of Teshima’s Benesse sites open all year (closed Tuesdays, and Tuesday–Thursday from December to February). Indoor works on Megijima and Ogijima open only on set days — the last ones this season are 14–15 November 2026. Outdoor works can be seen any time. The next Setouchi Triennale is in 2028.

I live in Tokushima, and I’ve been to Teshima, Ogijima and Megijima. On Teshima I didn’t go inside the Teshima Art Museum, so the details on it here come from my research. Here’s how the ferries work and what’s open outside the festival.

The three islands at a glance

Ferries

Takamatsu – Megijima – Ogijima

One ferry line links all three. There are 6 round trips a day.

• Megijima is 20 minutes after Takamatsu, and Ogijima 40 minutes.
• The last boat back from Ogijima is at 17:00. The 18:10 from Takamatsu doesn’t come back.
• Adult one-way fares: Takamatsu–Megijima ¥370, Takamatsu–Ogijima ¥510, Megijima–Ogijima ¥240. A return costs double. Bicycles ¥340 one way.
• From 1 to 20 August, extra boats run between Takamatsu and Megijima.

Takamatsu – Teshima

The Teshima Ferry high-speed boat runs to Ieura port, some sailings via Naoshima’s Honmura port.

• Fares (one way): Takamatsu–Ieura ¥1,450, Ieura–Naoshima Honmura ¥820.
• Cash only, no reservations — first come, first served.
• There are two seasonal timetables (20 March–30 November and 1 December–19 March), and times change by day of the week. Tuesdays have fewer sailings. Always check the official timetable.

On 14 and 15 November 2026 only, some sailings of both lines can be booked online as a trial. Counter tickets are still sold.

From Uno (Okayama side)

• Uno–Ieura ¥780, Uno–Karato ¥1,050.
• The 8:40 from Uno is often crowded; the operator suggests the 6:45 or 11:10 instead. On some days the 11:10 carries dangerous goods only, so check first.

Teshima

Teshima Art Museum

I haven’t been inside myself. Here’s what you need to know before you book.

• Price: ¥1,800 online, ¥2,000 at the counter. Age 15 and under free. Many older guides show a lower price.
• Booking: timed reservation only. Once the online slots sell out, no counter tickets are sold.
• Hours: 10:00–17:00 from March to September (last entry 16:30); 10:00–16:00 from October to February (last entry 15:30).
• Closed: Tuesdays from March to November; Tuesday to Thursday from December to February. If a closed day is a holiday, it opens and closes the next day instead.
• Morning viewing: some Sundays, 9:00–10:00, ¥2,300, 20 people. Dates: 8 November and 13 December 2026; 17 January, 14 February and 14 March 2027.

Other art on Teshima

All Benesse art sites have needed online tickets since October 2024.

• Les Archives du Cœur (Christian Boltanski): ¥600 online. Recording your own heartbeat costs ¥1,570, with a CD and booklet.
• Teshima Yokoo House: ¥600 online. It reopened on 8 April 2026 after renovation. The tower’s outside changed from black to red-brick tiles, and cypress trees were added in the courtyard.
• Needle Factory: closed from 1 December to the end of February.
• Outdoor works can be seen all year.

Getting around Teshima

You can walk, rent a bicycle (there are shops near both Ieura and Karato ports), rent a car or scooter, take a taxi (booking required) or use the small shuttle bus run by the town. Island residents have priority on the bus, so check current times and fares before you rely on it. Teshima is hilly, and electric-assist bikes are a common choice.

Megijima

Megijima is the first stop, 20 minutes from Takamatsu.

• Onigashima Great Cave: ¥600, open 8:35–16:55. A bus runs from the port to the cave in about 10 minutes, timed with the ferries (¥500 one way, ¥800 return). The last bus leaves the cave at 17:00.
• Seagull Parking Lot: an outdoor artwork you can see at any time.
• 20th Century Recollection: the piano with sails. The sails are taken down in winter.
• Ote: tall stone walls, some over 4 m high, that protect houses from the winter wind.
• There’s a beach in summer.

Indoor works open 10:40–16:30 on opening days only.

Ogijima

Ogijima’s houses are stacked up a steep slope, and the village is a maze of lanes and stone steps.

• Onba: push-carts that local women use on the slopes. They became an artwork, Onba Factory, at the 2010 Triennale. Check whether it’s open when you visit.
• Ogijima’s Soul: the port building is itself an artwork, open 6:30–17:00.
• Outdoor works: including Takotsuboru, the alley mural project, Walking Ark, Dreaming of Blue Sky and Flower.
• Lighthouse: built entirely of unpainted granite and first lit in 1895. Kagawa Prefecture says all-granite lighthouses are rare in Japan. It’s about 40 minutes’ walk from the port. The old staff house is now a museum (check hours).
• Cats: there are cats around the village and port. All of them were spayed or neutered in 2016, and numbers have gone down since.

Indoor works open 11:00–16:30 on opening days only.

Visiting outside the Triennale

• The 2025 Setouchi Triennale has ended. The next one is in 2028: spring 14 April–28 May, summer 25 July–20 August, autumn 29 September–12 November. Each area will close one day a week.
• Megijima and Ogijima: 14–15 November 2026 are the last regular opening days for indoor works this season. Expect them to be shut from mid-November until spring 2027 (the reopening date hasn’t been announced). Outdoor works stay visible.
• Teshima: Benesse lists the Teshima Art Museum, Les Archives du Cœur and Teshima Yokoo House as open as normal from January to March 2027, apart from the Tuesday–Thursday winter closures.

See Naoshima Art Museums, Naoshima and Shodoshima from Takamatsu, Shodoshima and Best Time to Visit Setouchi.

FAQ

Do I need to book the Teshima Art Museum?
Yes. Entry is by timed online booking, and no counter tickets are sold once online slots sell out.

Can I visit Megijima and Ogijima on the same trip?
Yes — they’re on the same ferry line (¥240 between them). Plan around the last boat from Ogijima at 17:00.

What’s open in winter?
Teshima’s Benesse sites, apart from Tuesday–Thursday closures (the Needle Factory is closed). On Megijima and Ogijima, outdoor works and the Onigashima cave.

When is the next Setouchi Triennale?
2028, in three seasons from 14 April to 12 November.

Ferry times, fares and opening days checked on the Benesse Art Site, ferry operators’ and Setouchi Triennale websites on 28 October 2026.

Kaz

Tokushima local with family roots in Hiroshima

I live in Tokushima and my family is from Hiroshima, where I also used to live. I still go back several times a year. The guides here come from places I have actually been. Where I haven't tried something myself, I say so.