What areas of Japan do you cover?

All 47 prefectures — from Hokkaido to Okinawa. We specialize in both iconic destinations (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) and off-the-beaten-path regions like Tohoku, Shikoku, and the Seto Inland Sea islands.

Do you help with visa applications?

Yes. We provide end-to-end visa assistance — document preparation, application review, and guidance through the process. We support tourist, business, and medical visas.

How does camping car rental work?

We provide fully equipped campervans with English GPS, comprehensive insurance, unlimited mileage, and a custom route plan. Pickup and drop-off can be arranged at major airports or city locations.

How far in advance should I book?

We recommend at least 4-8 weeks for standard trips. Cherry blossom season (late March – mid April) and autumn foliage (November) should be booked 3-6 months ahead. Corporate events need 2-3 months lead time.

What's included in tour packages?

Our packages typically include accommodation, transport, guide services, key attraction tickets, and a detailed day-by-day itinerary. Flights and meals can be added. Every package is customizable.

Teshima Art Island: A Quiet Guide

Teshima, Naoshima's Quieter Twin

Teshima (literally 'island of abundance') sits between Naoshima and Shodoshima and offers a slower, greener counterpoint to Naoshima's crowds. Rolling terraced rice fields, spring water, and citrus groves surround a handful of world-class art sites. Most visitors come specifically for one building — the Teshima Art Museum — but the island rewards a full unhurried day.

Tip: Teshima is hilly. Rent an electric-assist bicycle at Ieura port rather than a standard one — the ride to the Art Museum involves a real climb.

Teshima Art Museum

The Teshima Art Museum (¥1,570) is not a gallery of objects — it is a single low concrete shell, shaped like a water droplet, open to the sky and wind, designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa with artist Rei Naito. Water seeps from tiny points in the polished floor and rolls into shifting streams across the surface. Visitors remove their shoes and sit in silence. It is widely described as one of the most moving spaces in Japan.

Tip: The museum closes on Tuesdays (and Tuesday–Thursday in winter). Photography is not allowed inside. Arrive on the first ferry for near-empty morning light.

Beyond the Museum

Les Archives du Coeur (¥520), by French artist Christian Boltanski, records and plays back the heartbeats of visitors from around the world in a dark seaside room — you can add your own to the permanent archive. The Teshima Yokoo House (¥520) is a former home reworked by artist Tadanori Yokoo into a vivid meditation on life and death. Small cafes in Karato and Ieura serve island-grown produce.

Tip: Buy a combined Setouchi Triennale Passport in festival years — it covers Teshima's multiple sites for less than paying each entry separately.

Getting to Teshima

Ferries reach Teshima's Ieura port from Uno Port (Okayama side; high-speed boat ~25 min, regular ferry ~40 min), from Takamatsu (~35 min by high-speed boat), and from Naoshima (Miyanoura, ~20–35 min) — which makes a Naoshima + Teshima two-island day very doable. Some boats also call at Karato port on the island's far side.

Tip: Inter-island ferries between Naoshima and Teshima run only a few times a day and vary by season — lock in your connecting boat before you leave Naoshima or you may be stranded for hours.

Making It Easy

Teshima's charm is its quiet, but that quiet also means sparse signage, Japanese-only timetables, and museums that sell out or close on days visitors don't expect. Pairing Teshima with Naoshima over two days — with ferries, timed tickets, and an overnight booked in advance — is the smoothest way to see both. HelloJapan can build that two-island plan with English support so you don't lose a morning to a missed ferry.

Tip: See our Naoshima guide and the 3-day Seto island-hopping itinerary to combine Teshima with the wider art-island route.

Teshima Art Island: A Quiet Guide

Teshima, Naoshima's Quieter Twin

Teshima Art Museum

Beyond the Museum

Getting to Teshima

Making It Easy

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Naoshima Art Island: The Complete Guide

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