Naoshima Art House Project: Tickets, Route & Everything You Need to Know
The Art House Project in Honmura is seven old buildings, each reimagined as a piece of art in its own right. It’s also one of the easiest parts of Naoshima to get wrong logistically, because the ticket system changed in October 2024 and a lot of guides online still describe the old rules. Here’s what’s actually true right now.
The Short Answer: 5 Houses on One Common Ticket, 2 Houses Need Their Own Online Booking
Kadoya, Go’o Shrine, Ishibashi, Gokaisho, and Haisha are covered by a single common ticket, and you can walk into any of them without a reservation. Minamidera and Kinza are separate: each requires its own timed online ticket booked in advance, and the common ticket doesn’t cover either of them.
Finding Naoshima Note: If you’ve read that Kadoya requires a numbered ticket or advance booking, that’s outdated. Kadoya is a normal walk-in house on the common ticket — no reservation needed. The two houses that actually require advance booking are Minamidera and Kinza.
The Art House Project isn’t just a checklist of buildings — it’s a walk through Naoshima’s history as much as its art. Each house pairs a specific artist with the bones of a real, once-abandoned building in Honmura, so the installations feel inseparable from the place itself. Here’s what’s actually inside each one.
The 7 Houses at a Glance
| House | Artist / Artwork | Ticket Type | Hours | Reservation Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadoya (角屋) | Tatsuo Miyajima, Sea of Time ’98 | Common ticket | 10:00–12:00 & 13:00–16:30 | No |
| Minamidera (南寺) | James Turrell, Backside of the Moon | Individual, timed online ticket | 10:00–16:30 (last entry 16:05) | Yes |
| Kinza (きんざ) | Rei Naito, Being Given | Individual, timed online ticket | Mar–Sep 10:30–13:00 & 14:30–16:30; Oct–Feb 10:00–13:00 & 14:30–16:00 | Yes |
| Go’o Shrine (護王神社) | Hiroshi Sugimoto, Appropriate Proportion | Common ticket | 10:00–13:00 & 14:00–16:30 | No |
| Ishibashi (石橋) | Hiroshi Senju, The Falls / The Garden of Kū | Common ticket | 10:00–12:00 & 13:00–16:30 | No |
| Gokaisho (碁会所) | Yoshihiro Suda, Gokaisho | Common ticket | 10:00–13:00 & 14:00–16:30 | No |
| Haisha (はいしゃ) | Shinro Ohtake, Dreaming Tongue / BOKKON-NOZOKI | Common ticket | 10:00–12:00 & 13:00–16:30 | No |
All seven houses are closed on Mondays (open instead on national holidays, closed the following day). Kinza is additionally closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays — check the official booking page for exact current dates.
Kadoya (角屋)
The first house transformed in the project, Kadoya houses Tatsuo Miyajima’s Sea of Time ’98 — digital counters submerged in water, each set to count at a speed chosen by a Naoshima resident who took part in creating the piece. Common ticket, no reservation needed.
Minamidera (南寺)
Housed in a building designed by Tadao Ando, Minamidera contains James Turrell’s Backside of the Moon — a work best experienced by letting your eyes adjust slowly in near-total darkness. Requires its own timed online ticket.
Go’o Shrine (護王神社)
Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Appropriate Proportion connects an underground stone chamber to the shrine’s main hall via a staircase of glass, linking below-ground and above-ground into a single work. Common ticket, no reservation needed.
Ishibashi (石橋)
A former salt merchant’s home, Ishibashi holds Hiroshi Senju’s The Falls and The Garden of Kū, developed over five years specifically for the space. Common ticket, no reservation needed.
Gokaisho (碁会所)
Named for the island tradition of gathering here to play go, this house features Yoshihiro Suda’s carved wooden camellia set against a real, five-colored camellia planted in the garden outside. Common ticket, no reservation needed.
Haisha (はいしゃ)
A former dentist’s home and residence, transformed by Shinro Ohtake into Dreaming Tongue/BOKKON-NOZOKI — an eclectic mix of sculpture, painting, and collage. Common ticket, no reservation needed.
Kinza (きんざ)
Rei Naito’s Being Given sits inside a structure over 200 years old, and is experienced one visitor at a time. More on booking this one below.
Tickets & Prices: What Changed in October 2024
Since October 1, 2024, the ticket structure works like this:
- Common ticket (5 houses — Kadoya, Go’o Shrine, Ishibashi, Gokaisho, Haisha): ¥1,200 online / ¥1,400 on-site. Free for ages 15 and under.
- Single-house ticket (any one of those same 5 houses): ¥600 online / ¥700 on-site.
- Minamidera (individual ticket, booked separately): ¥600 online / ¥700 on-site.
- Kinza (individual ticket, booked separately): ¥600 online / ¥700 on-site.
Before this change, the common ticket covered six houses (including Minamidera) for ¥1,050, and Minamidera used a same-day numbered-ticket system rather than online booking. If you’re seeing ¥1,050 or ¥420 quoted anywhere, or being told Minamidera hands out numbered tickets on the day, that’s the pre-October-2024 system — it no longer works that way.
Minamidera & Kinza: The Two Houses You Must Book in Advance
Minamidera
Until October 2024, this was a same-day, queue-for-a-numbered-ticket kind of visit. It isn’t anymore. Minamidera now requires a timed online ticket booked ahead of your visit, the same as Kinza. Don’t show up expecting to queue for a same-day slot.
Kinza
Kinza has worked this way for longer: visitors enter one at a time, spending 15 minutes alone inside. Bookings open 60 days in advance and close as late as one hour before your slot, but don’t cut it close — each person in your group needs their own individual booking, even if you’re visiting together. On the day, show your booking confirmation email at the Honmura Lounge & Archive at least 30 minutes before your slot to purchase your ticket.
Finding Naoshima Note: Traveling as a couple or group? Book Kinza slots for everyone in your party separately and as early as you can — a shared reservation isn’t a thing here, and popular time slots fill up.
Hours & Closed Days
- Kadoya, Ishibashi, Haisha: 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–4:30 p.m.
- Go’o Shrine, Gokaisho: 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:00–4:30 p.m.
- Minamidera: 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (last entry 4:05 p.m.)
- Kinza: 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:30–4:30 p.m. (March–September); 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:30–4:00 p.m. (October–February)
All seven are closed Mondays, with the usual Japan holiday exception (open on the holiday, closed the following day instead). Kinza is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays as well — confirm current dates on the official booking page before you plan around it.
Recommended Route: How to See All 7 Houses Efficiently
- Before you arrive: Book your Minamidera and Kinza time slots online — do this first, since everything else in your day gets planned around these two fixed appointments.
- Morning: Start with whichever of the five common-ticket houses (Kadoya, Go’o Shrine, Ishibashi, Gokaisho, Haisha) is closest to your Minamidera or Kinza slot, and work through 2–3 of them on foot — they’re all within a few minutes of each other in Honmura.
- Midday: Slot in your Minamidera or Kinza reservation at its booked time. Since Kinza runs one visitor at a time, budget extra buffer if you’re in a group.
- Afternoon: Finish the remaining common-ticket houses, then your second timed reservation (Kinza or Minamidera, whichever you didn’t do at midday).
- Buy your common ticket early in the day — it covers all 5 included houses, so there’s no need to re-purchase between stops.
Realistically, budget half a day for all seven houses at an unhurried pace, more if your Minamidera and Kinza slots are spread far apart in your schedule.
If you’re building out a longer Honmura itinerary around the Art House Project, our guide to staying in Naoshima by area covers accommodation options within walking distance of Honmura, and our Naoshima vs Teshima museum comparison is useful if you’re deciding how much time to leave for the Benesse House museums the same day. Trying to fit all of this into a single day alongside Teshima? Our one-day Naoshima and Teshima itinerary guide walks through the timing in more detail.
FAQ
- Do I need a reservation to visit Kadoya?
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No. Kadoya is on the standard common ticket and welcomes walk-in visitors — no booking required. Only Minamidera and Kinza require advance online reservations.
- Can I use the common ticket for Minamidera or Kinza?
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No. Since October 2024, both require their own individual, timed ticket booked separately — the common ticket only covers the other five houses.
- How far in advance should I book Kinza?
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Bookings open 60 days ahead and close as late as one hour before your slot, but popular times fill up — book as early as you can, and remember each visitor needs their own individual reservation.
About Our Tour called “Finidng Naoshima”
We also offer guided tours of Naoshima called “Finidng Naoshima”, a private tour service led by locals born and raised on Naoshima. With deep roots in the island, we share Naoshima’s unique history, rich culture, and breathtaking scenery from a local perspective.
Whether it’s hidden photo spots, stories behind the artworks, or the charm of island life, we guide you through it all. Each tour is fully private, allowing for a personalized and relaxed experience at your own pace. Let us show you the real Naoshima—beyond the museums and into its heart.