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Venture to an Island of Art and Beauty in the Seto Inland Sea

Teshima Island, Tonosho Town, Kagawa

Local stories

Located in the Seto Inland Sea, Teshima is a historical island where people have lived in harmony with nature. Mt. Danyama towers over the center of the island, capturing rainwater and turning it into the abundant springs that have long been the lifeblood of the area’s terraced rice cultivation and citrus and olive pomiculture, with local fisheries benefiting too as the nutrient-rich water spills into the sea.

In 2010, Teshima Art Museum was erected on an abandoned rice terrace, garnering global acclaim for its water theme and bringing Teshima back into the spotlight as an art island. Products like the rice grown in its terraced fields and its mandarins are enjoying renewed recognition as part of the Teshima brand, with newcomers to the island starting novel ventures such as the production of sun-dried salt.

Nowadays, island residents welcome visiting tourists like friends or relatives, fostering warm interactions by acting as guides, cooking up dishes, and taking them around. Experience a new kind of value on a connected island where water brings people and people create connections, sustaining the cyclical rhythms of everyday life.

Local culinary delights

On Teshima, you can indulge in dishes that feature the Seto Inland Sea’s fresh seafood as well as the citrus fruits and olives grown in the island’s warm climate. Teshima’s identity as an art island also extends to its cuisine, with creative dishes that add a modern twist to local ingredients and traditional island fare made with the rice grown in its terraced fields being two major highlights.

Recommended model course

Teshima in the Seto Inland Sea: The story of an island connected by water

Example itinerary

This Teshima tour introduces you to the local history, cuisine, and art. Start your trip with a bento meal handcrafted by women on the island. The real joys of this water-themed adventure lie in the dishes and handiwork blessed by the spring water of the terraced fields as well as conversations with local producers. On the last day, try seine fishing on the coast, cook the fish you caught, and enjoy a feast with the island community for a satisfying end to four days of immersing yourself in Teshima’s nature and way of life.

Schedule

Day One

12:10 p.m. | Depart from Naoshima12:32 p.m. | Arrive at Teshima’s Ieura PortHave a Teshima bento for lunch at the Okazaki Park Observation Deck on Mt. Danyama

Try a Teshima bento meal born from the desire of women on the island for visitors to enjoy the flavors of Teshima before heading home. It’s packed with the island’s blessings, including homegrown vegetables, miso-marinated sea bream, and Japanese fried chicken seasoned with sun-dried salt. Your Teshima adventure begins once you taste this bento at the Okazaki Park Observation Deck on Mt. Danyama and listen to a resident guide tell a story of an island connected by water.

Visit the Teshima Natural Salt FarmEnjoy the Teshima’s Farm-to-Table Tasting Menu at Satokura, a farmer-run restaurantArrive at Tokuto, your accommodations

Tokuto is a lodging facility overlooking the Seto Inland Sea, converted from a traditional folk house built more than 80 years ago. Located among fields and a rural satoyama setting, it offers popular experiences like interactions with goats and chickens. For breakfast, try local dishes and homemade bread baked by people in the neighborhood. From your window, you can look out over the townscape and the Seto Inland Sea. The main building and annex can each be rented out in their entirety—limited to one group per day.

Day Two

Depart from your accommodationsTravel to a communal watering facility by electric bikeTour Karato’s rice terraces, certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as a Connecting Rice Terraces Heritage Site

Karato’s rice terraces are certified as a Connecting Rice Terraces Heritage Site, a new designation launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2019. Located near Teshima Art Museum, these terraces draw in over a thousand visitors every autumn with the Teshima Rice Terrace Harvest Festival, which features drum performances courtesy of the local children, cotton-picking activities, and other fun mini-events.

Tour Teshima Art Museum

Teshima Art Museum is located in a corner of a rice terrace nourished by the springs of Mt. Danyama. Water springs out of the ground in the interior space, and visitors can experience the shifting rhythms of nature as well as the wind and light of the world outside. A communal watering facility with ties to the great Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi (774–835) can be found nearby, and the local springs continue to support the community today. Both are important sites where water connects the nature of Teshima with the activities of its people.

Have the Shima Kitchen Set for lunch at Shima KitchenEnjoy various art sites like Christian Boltanski’s Les Archives du Cœur, which houses recordings of the heartbeats of people from around the worldEat dinner at a restaurant on the islandArrive at your accommodations

Day Three

Visit octopus pot fisheries, orchards, and other producers, then have some onigiri rice balls mixed with octopus for lunch

Go octopus fishing with Kiyoto Ikuta, who comes from a line of fishermen starting from his great-grandfather’s generation for a rare opportunity to gain insights on the relationship between people and the sea as well as the wisdom found in everyday life here. Other immersive island experiences that showcase the wisdom woven into Teshima’s ingredients and handiwork are also available. You can harvest seasonal vegetables with Yaeko Yamane or cook local dishes with Hanae Akeda, two ladies living in the community, for example.

Experience harvesting vegetablesExperience cooking at Shima no DaidokoroHave local cuisine for dinner

Day Four

Experience seine fishingCook the fish you caught by seine fishing on the beach for lunch

Experience seine fishing, a traditional fishing technique where you pull in a large net on the beach, with local fishermen, then prepare and taste the fish you caught on the spot—one aspect of the local food culture.

2:00 p.m. | Arrive at Ieura Port

Access

Ferry from Takamatsu Port, Kagawa Prefecture, to Ieura Port, Teshima (35 minutes)
Ferry from Miyanoura Port (Naoshima), Kagawa Prefecture, to Ieura Port, Teshima (25 minutes)
Ferry from Tonosho Port (Shodoshima), Kagawa Prefecture, to Ieura Port, Teshima (35 minutes)
Ferry from Uno Port, Okayama Prefecture, to Ieura Port, Teshima (40 minutes)

Contact

Teshima Countryside Stay Promotion Council

Recommended Accommodation

Tokuto—Teshima’s Ocean View Retreat

A charming eighty-year-old renovated former residence, Tokuto can be reserved in its entirety by a single group. The main building can accommodate eight guests; the annex, six guests. The inn is located on a hill, and guests can enjoy stunning views of the Seto Inland Sea from the beautiful Japanese garden. Both the main building and the annex are equipped with kitchens, and guests may stay as long as thirty consecutive days. Behind the house lies abundant fields and woodlands, where guests can engage in farmwork and with farm animals.

  • Address :

    1577-2 Ieura, Teshima, Tonosho, Shozo-gun, Kagawa

  • Telephone :

    080-8161-3526

  • Telephone Languages :

    Japanese and English

  • Access :

    15-minute walk from Ieura Port

  • Check-in :

    3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

  • Check-out :

    10:00 a.m.

  • Rates :

    Main Building: From ¥11,875 per adult (per night for 8 guests in one building) Annex: From ¥11,667 per adult (per night for 6 guests in one building)

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    Visa/Mastercard/American Express/JCB/Diners Club

  • Bedroom :

    Main building accommodates up to 8 guests, featuring beds and futons; Annex accommodates up to 6 guests, featuring beds and futons.

  • Bathroom :

    With bathtub, available from check-in until Check-out

  • Toilet :

    Western style

  • Meals :

    Breakfast only

  • Wi-Fi :

    Available

Recommended Accommodation

Minpaku Akeda

Pass through a quaint wooden gate and discover a traditional one-story house built around a scenic courtyard. This is the Akeda family’s home and inn, where the cheerful proprietress, locally known as Han-chan, always welcomes guests with a warm smile. Stay overnight in a cozy room with a traditional Buddhist altar, and relax in the tranquility of Japanese countryside life.

  • Address :

    2301 Ieura, Teshima, Tonosho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa

  • Access :

    5-minute walk from Ieura Port

  • Check-in :

    3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

  • Check-out :

    9:00 a.m.

  • Rates :

    ¥4,400 per person per night with no meal; ¥550 for breakfast (with other guests)

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    None

  • Bedroom :

    Private room for up to three people; no key; Japanese futon

  • Bathroom available (no lock) :

    bathtub available from check-in until Check-out

  • Toilet :

    Western style

  • Meals :

    Breakfast ¥550 (with other guests)

  • Wi-Fi :

    Available

Recommended Restaurant

URARA (local bento box)

Bento boxes prepared by Teshima's skilled local women are available for take-out only. These tasty box lunches, bursting with Teshima culinary charm, include locally sourced fish and vegetables and feature fried dishes seasoned with locally produced salt. Why not grab one to eat while seated on a bench overlooking the island’s pretty terraced rice fields?

  • Address :

    2232-2 Ieura, Teshima, Tonosho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa

  • Telephone Number :

    0879-68-2352

  • Telephone Languages :

    Japanese

  • Access :

    5-minute walk from Ieura Port

  • Closed :

    No regular holidays

  • Cuisine :

    Japanese cuisine

  • Foreign Language Menu :

    Not available

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    None

Recommended Restaurant

Umi no Restaurant

Dine on Italian cuisine made from local ingredients while gazing at the calm Seto Inland Sea. Seafood is delivered fresh on the day by local fishers, and fruits and vegetables are from the restaurant’s orchard and vegetable garden. Dishes represent the rich flavors of the Seto Inland Sea region.

  • Address :

    525-1 Ieura, Teshima, Tonosho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa

  • Telephone :

    0879-68-3677

  • Telephone Languages :

    Japanese

  • Access :

    15-minute walk from Ieura Port

  • Opening Hours :

    11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. (closed Monday evenings; reservations required)

  • Closed :

    Tuesdays and Wednesdays (see official website for details)

  • Cuisine :

    Italian cuisine

  • Foreign Language Menu :

    Not available

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    Visa/Mastercard/American Express/JCB

Recommended Experience

Net Fishing with Local Fishers

Seine fishing is a traditional way to harvest fish by casting a net into the sea and pulling it toward the shore, capturing the fish inside. Participate in this fascinating fishing experience together with local fishers. Take home the fish you catch, or have fun cooking and eating it on the spot.

  • Address :

    Depends on the day

  • Telephone :

    080-8161-3526（Tokuto）

  • Telephone Languages :

    Japanese and English

  • Access :

    Depends on the day

  • Duration :

    One and a half hours (without cooking and tasting experience) or three hours (with cooking and tasting experience)—between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

  • Fee :

    ¥66,000 (without cooking and tasting experience) or ¥110,000 (with cooking and tasting experience)—for two to ten people

  • Languages Supported :

    Japanese

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    Visa/Mastercard/American Express/JCB

Recommended Experience

Teshima Walking Tour with Local Guide

Take a leisurely walking tour through a charming traditional village, then draw water from a well located at the foot of a mountain. Appreciate the charm of Teshima, a small island with scenic reservoirs and dams everywhere and lots of spectacular views of the Seto Inland Sea, including from the top of a small mountain. After returning to the inn, take a break with a delicious cup of coffee.
Meet at 1577-2 Ieura, Teshima, Tonosho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa (Tokuto), or arrange to be picked up at your inn.

  • Telephone Number :

    080-8161-3526 (Tokuto)

  • Telephone Languages :

    Japanese and English

  • Access :

    10-minute walk from Ieura Port

  • Duration :

    About two hours between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. By appointment only.

  • Fee :

    ¥2,500 (with coffee or tea)

  • Languages Supported :

    Japanese and English

  • Accepted Credit Cards :

    Visa/Mastercard/American Express/JCB/Diners Club

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