Where to Stay for Naoshima (2026): Last Boat to Uno 00:15

Stay on Naoshima (直島) if you want the island after the day visitors leave, and book early: the island’s tourism association lists only 58 places to stay, most of them small inns.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]} If you cannot find a room there, or want a long day on the island, base yourself on the Okayama side, in Uno (宇野) or Okayama: boats from Miyanoura to Uno run until 00:15.^[12] Takamatsu (高松) is the base for travellers continuing into Shikoku, but the last boat back there leaves Naoshima at 19:45.^[14]

Key facts

• The pick for art-focused trips: one night on the island; 58 places to stay are listed, 20 of them in Miyanoura.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]}
• Inside the museum area: Benesse House is the only listing there.^[5]
• Latest return: the passenger boat from Miyanoura to Uno at 00:15, at the late-night fare of ¥730.^[12]
• Takamatsu: last ferry from Miyanoura at 17:00, last high-speed boat at 19:45.^{[14] [14]}
• Okayama: about 50 minutes to Uno by the JR Uno Line, then a 5-minute walk to the port.^[12]
• Ferries: no reservations; tickets are sold at the port.^[16]

Where to stay for Naoshima: island, Uno or Takamatsu?

The choice comes down to the last boat you can catch and the bed you can find. Shikoku Kisen (四国汽船) runs all the ferries and boats from Uno and Takamatsu to Naoshima, and it takes no reservations, so you plan around its timetable rather than a booking.^[16] The times below are from Shikoku Kisen’s timetable as read on October 23, 2026.

Item	On Naoshima	Uno (Okayama side)	Takamatsu (Shikoku)
Crossing	None	Ferry about 20 minutes[12]	Ferry about 50–60 minutes, high-speed boat about 30[14] [14]
Last ferry from Miyanoura	—	20:25[12]	17:00[14]
Last boat from Miyanoura	—	00:15 (late-night fare)[12]	19:45 (high-speed boat)[14]
From Honmura	Town bus	Boat, last at 18:10[13]	Some Toyoshima Ferry sailings[17]
Train	—	JR Uno Line to Okayama, about 50 minutes[12]	JR Takamatsu Station, 5 minutes on foot[14]
Best for	Evenings and early mornings on the island	Late returns, Okayama connections	Continuing into Shikoku

Should I stay on Naoshima?

Yes, if the art is the reason for your trip and you can find a room. The Naoshima Town Tourism Association lists 58 places to stay: 20 around Miyanoura (宮浦), the ferry port; 17 in Honmura (本村), home of the Art House Project; 15 in Tsumiura and Gotanji (積浦・琴弾地); 1 in the museum area; and 5 elsewhere.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]} Its list covers hotels, ryokan, dormitories, minshuku (family-run inns), whole-house rentals and women-only lodgings, and lets you filter for stays with meals.^[1]

Only three of them are hotels: Benesse House, Hotel Lite Style and My Lodge Naoshima.^[7] Benesse House combines exhibition spaces for contemporary art with hotel rooms, and it is the only place to stay inside the museum area.^[5] Tsutsuji-so (つつじ荘), where the town bus ends and the shuttle to the museums starts, offers yurts, Japanese-style cottages and trailer houses.^[10][4]

Most other places are small. The association notes that most places that are not hotels are run by one or two people, that it does not track their vacancies, and that you should contact the inn yourself.^[8] If you book a minshuku with dinner, the ryokan guide explains meal times, shared baths and check-in.

Which area depends on where you will spend the evening and how you will move. The town bus runs from Miyanoura Port through Nokyo-mae, the stop for the Art House Project in Honmura, to Tsutsuji-so. It does not go to Benesse House, the Lee Ufan Museum or the Chichu Art Museum: you change at Tsutsuji-so to the free Benesse shuttle.^[10] On foot, the Chichu Art Museum is about 30 minutes from Tsutsuji-so.^[10]

The catch is getting around after dark. The island has only 2 taxis; the association notes a maximum of 9 passengers.^[8] The town bus costs ¥100 per person, paid into the fare box when you get off (there is no change machine on board), and holds 28 passengers.^[11],[10] It is timed to meet arriving boats, but the town warns that weekend and holiday afternoon buses back towards Miyanoura are often full.^[11] Staying in Miyanoura keeps you next to the port; staying in Honmura puts you in the village and on the boat to Uno.^[13]

Uno or Okayama: is the Honshu side a better base?

Uno is the closest base and has the latest boats. The ferry to Miyanoura takes about 20 minutes, the first leaves Uno at 06:10, and the last ferry back from Miyanoura leaves at 20:25.^[12] After that, Shikoku Kisen’s small passenger boat leaves Miyanoura at 21:15 and 00:15. It takes about 15 minutes, and the 00:15 boat charges a late-night fare of ¥730.^[12]

That timetable works in both directions. If you arrive in Uno late, passenger boats still leave for Miyanoura at 22:30 and 00:35 (the 00:35 at the late-night fare), after the last ferry at 20:25.^[12] Honmura has its own boat to Uno, about 20 minutes, with the last departure at 18:10; fares on it are cash only.^[13]

Okayama works as a city base on the railway. Shikoku Kisen gives about 50 minutes from JR Okayama Station to Uno on the JR Uno Line, and about 5 minutes on foot from Uno Station to the port.^[12] The late boats suit you best if you sleep in Uno itself; from Okayama, plan the return around the train as well as the boat.

Do not wait for a booking confirmation for the boats. Shikoku Kisen takes no reservations and sells no tickets in advance, and cards are accepted only at its ticket machines.^[16]

Is Takamatsu a good base for Naoshima?

Takamatsu suits you if Naoshima is one stop on a longer Shikoku trip. Takamatsu Port is about 5 minutes on foot from JR Takamatsu Station,^[14] and the Shikoku rail pass guide covers the JR lines onward from there.

The crossing is longer and ends earlier than from Uno. The ferry from Takamatsu takes about 50 minutes and leaves at 08:12, 10:14, 12:40, 15:35 and 18:05.^[14] The ferry back takes about 60 minutes, and the last one leaves Miyanoura at 17:00.^[14]

The high-speed boat takes about 30 minutes. It leaves Miyanoura at 06:45, 08:40 and 19:45, and Takamatsu at 07:20, 09:20 and 20:30.^[14] There is no high-speed boat back in the middle of the day, so a full day on the island ends either with the 17:00 ferry or the 19:45 boat.

Bring cash for the high-speed boat. Its tickets are sold only at the ticket window and only for cash; for the 20:30 boat from Takamatsu, the crew sells tickets at the pier.^[14]

How to decide

Three questions that settle it

• Do you want the island in the evening or early morning, or to stay inside the museum area? Stay on Naoshima, and book first: most inns are run by one or two people.^[8]
• Will you leave the island after 19:45? Base in Uno: boats run to 00:15.^[12]
• Are you continuing into Shikoku by train? Base in Takamatsu, and plan to leave Naoshima by the 19:45 boat.^[14]

Questions visitors ask

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave my luggage at Miyanoura Port?

Yes. The port has lockers, 26 large, 12 medium and 18 small, and the ticket office is open from 5:30 to 20:25.^[12]

Can I book the ferry to Naoshima in advance?

No. Shikoku Kisen takes no reservations and sells no tickets ahead; you buy them at the port on the day.^[16]

Can I get a taxi on Naoshima at night?

Do not count on it. The island has only 2 taxis.^[8] Choose a place to stay within walking distance of the port you will leave from.

Is Benesse House the only hotel in the museum area?

Yes. In the tourism association’s list, Benesse House is the only place to stay in the museum area.^[5]