Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Japan: Shikoku, Naoshima and the Pilgrim Temples
9 days from Okayama to Hiroshima: two nights on Naoshima with a day on Teshima, Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, two nights in the Iya Valley, Kochi, and two nights at Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama.
9 days · Okayama to Hiroshima · up to 12 guests
Kazurabashi, the vine bridge over the Iya River Photo: ume-y, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iya_Kazurabashi-1.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Okayama to Hiroshima
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Easy to moderate walking: about 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day on paved lanes, garden paths, museum floors and temple and station stairs. Kotohira-gu's main shrine is 785 stone steps up (optional: the climb can stop at any landing). Crossing Kazurabashi means stepping on wide-spaced wooden slats about 14 m above the river; you can watch from the bank instead. The Iya gorge walk is about an hour on a riverside path with some uneven steps. Hills on Naoshima and Teshima are covered by island buses.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,205 (estimated price)
- Season
- March to May and October to November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Chichu Art Museum in the first morning slot: Monet's Water Lilies in daylight and rooms by James Turrell and Walter De Maria
- Teshima Art Museum, one concrete shell where water beads run across the floor, then lunch on the island
- Two nights on Naoshima, so the art ends with an island evening instead of a race for the last ferry
- Matcha in the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse in Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu
- Crossing the Kazurabashi vine bridge over the Iya River, and the double vine bridges deeper in the valley
- Katsuo no tataki, bonito seared over burning straw, at Hirome Market in Kochi
- An evening bath at Dogo Onsen Honkan, the 1894 wooden bathhouse in Matsuyama
- Ishiteji at 8 am with your guide: the pilgrim's bow, incense, name slip and temple stamp
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,205 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Okayama to Naoshima
Okayama Station to Uno port by van, then the ferry to Naoshima
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Naoshima
- Drive about 1 h
Afternoon
Meet your See Sight Tours guide at Okayama Station around midday; the exact time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Okayama is about 45 minutes from Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen and a little over three hours from Tokyo, so you can travel in the same morning. Our van takes the group and the suitcases about 35 km to Uno port, under an hour, and a 20-minute ferry crosses to Miyanoura on Naoshima. The island lived from fishing and a copper refinery until the Benesse foundation began building art sites here in the late 1980s, many designed by the architect Tadao Ando. After check-in we walk Honmura, the old village, and its Art House Project: empty houses, a shrine and a former dentist's office turned into installations, including Minamidera, where a James Turrell work is entered in darkness.
Evening
In the late afternoon the shuttle takes us to the Lee Ufan Museum, a half-buried Ando building of stone and iron works, about 40 minutes, then on to Benesse House Museum above the sea and Yayoi Kusama's yellow Pumpkin on its pier, best in low evening light. Welcome dinner together on the island.
Included
- Meeting at Okayama Station and van to Uno port
- Ferry from Uno to Naoshima
- The Art House Project in Honmura, including Minamidera
- Lee Ufan Museum
- Benesse House Museum and the outdoor works along the shore, including Kusama's Pumpkin
- Welcome dinner on Naoshima
Free time: Free before the midday meeting
Activity: The Art House Project and the Lee Ufan Museum close on Mondays, so departures never start on one.
Chichu, then Teshima
Naoshima to Teshima by ferry and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Naoshima
- By ferry
Today is built around two timed tickets that we book for you.
Morning
We are at the Chichu Art Museum for the first entry of the morning, before the day visitors from the mainland arrive. Ando set most of it into the hillside, and its few rooms are lit by daylight: Claude Monet's late Water Lilies, a granite sphere and gilded columns by Walter De Maria, and three works by James Turrell. Teshima sailings are few, so we take the late-morning ferry from Miyanoura to Ieura, about 20 minutes, with its time confirmed at booking. Teshima is greener, an island of rice terraces and springs.
Afternoon
Lunch is at an island cafe cooking with Teshima produce. Then the island bus climbs to the terraces for Teshima Art Museum, by the architect Ryue Nishizawa and the artist Rei Naito: one low concrete shell with two open ovals in its roof, where beads of water rise from the floor and slowly run together. It is a place for silence. On the shore at Karato, Christian Boltanski's Les Archives du Coeur keeps recordings of heartbeats from around the world.
Evening
The late ferry takes us back to Naoshima for dinner.
Included
- Chichu Art Museum, first timed entry
- Ferries between Naoshima and Teshima
- Lunch on Teshima
- Teshima Art Museum, timed entry
- Les Archives du Coeur
- Island bus and shuttle fares
- Dinner on Naoshima
Optional experiences
- Record your own heartbeat at Les Archives du Coeur (paid locally)
Easier option: Stay on the island buses between every site on both islands.
More active option: Ride an e-bike on Teshima from Ieura over the hill to the art museum, about 5 km with a long climb.
Free time: Early evening free on Naoshima before dinner
Activity: Chichu closes on Mondays and Teshima Art Museum on Tuesdays from March to November, so departure dates are set around both.
Ferry to Takamatsu and Ritsurin Garden
Naoshima to Takamatsu by ferry, then Ritsurin Garden
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Takamatsu
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The morning is yours on Naoshima. Rent a bike for the coast road, swim off the beach below Benesse House in summer, or go back to a work you want to see again; your guide can help with tickets. Late in the morning we take the ferry from Miyanoura to Takamatsu on Shikoku, about 50 minutes across the Inland Sea, threading between small islands.
Afternoon
Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa, Japan's smallest prefecture and the home of Sanuki udon, so lunch is a bowl of thick, chewy wheat noodles at a local udon shop near the port. In the afternoon our van takes us to Ritsurin Garden, laid out over more than a century by the lords of Takamatsu and set against the wooded slope of Mount Shiun. Its paths wind past ponds, arched bridges and pines pruned for centuries, and it is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. We stop for matcha and a sweet in the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse, looking over the South Pond.
Evening
The evening is free in Takamatsu, by the port or in the covered shopping arcades.
Included
- Ferry from Naoshima to Takamatsu
- Sanuki udon lunch in Takamatsu
- Ritsurin Garden with your guide
- Matcha and a sweet in the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse
Optional experiences
- Bike hire on Naoshima (paid locally)
- Wasen boat on Ritsurin's South Pond (paid locally)
Free time: Morning free on Naoshima; evening free in Takamatsu
Kotohira-gu and the Oboke gorge
Takamatsu to Kotohira, then up the Yoshino River to Oboke and the Iya Valley
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Iya Valley
- Drive about 2.5 h
Our van and driver now stay with the group for the rest of Shikoku, carrying the suitcases. About 45 minutes from Takamatsu is Kotohira-gu, known as Konpira-san, the shrine of sailors and seafarers. A shop-lined approach turns into a long stone stairway: 785 steps to the main shrine, which looks out over the Sanuki plain, and more than 1,300 to the inner shrine for those who keep going.
Morning
We go up in the cool of the morning, at your own pace. From Kotohira the road follows the Yoshino River into the mountains to Oboke, where the river has cut a gorge through pale grey rock.
Afternoon
Lunch is near the gorge, then a 30-minute boat ride between the cliffs, the easiest way to see them. The last stretch climbs into the Iya Valley, one of Japan's three most remote valleys, where houses cling to slopes above the river and the Heike clan is said to have hidden after their defeat in 1185. About two and a half hours of driving today, in three short legs.
Evening
Dinner and an onsen bath at the hotel.
Included
- Kotohira-gu with your guide, up to the main shrine
- Lunch near Oboke
- Oboke gorge boat ride
- Dinner at the hotel in the Iya Valley
Easier option: Stop at any landing on the Kotohira-gu stairway; the shops and the lower shrines are at the bottom.
More active option: Climb on from the main shrine to the inner shrine at Kotohira-gu, about 1,368 steps in all and an extra hour.
Free time: Late afternoon free at the hotel for the onsen
Activity: The Oboke boat does not run after heavy rain; when it is cancelled we walk a riverside viewpoint instead.
The vine bridges of Iya
Around the Iya Valley: Kazurabashi, Ochiai and Oku-Iya
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Iya Valley
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
We are at Kazurabashi in the morning, ahead of the coach groups. The bridge is woven from hardy kiwi vines, about 45 m long and some 14 m above the river, and it is rebuilt every few years; the wooden slats are wide apart, so you look straight down to the water as you cross. A short path leads on to Biwa Falls. Then we drive deeper into the valley to the Ochiai viewpoint, where a hamlet of farmhouses and terraced fields climbs a steep slope; the village is protected as a traditional townscape.
Afternoon
Lunch is Iya soba, coarse buckwheat noodles, at a local restaurant. The afternoon is at Oku-Iya, the far end of the valley, where a pair of vine bridges, the husband and wife bridges, hang side by side, with a hand-pulled cable cart, the yaen, across the river. Here is the easy gorge walk: about an hour on a path along the river and through the forest. We are back at the hotel by mid-afternoon.
Evening
Dinner at the hotel.
Included
- Iya Kazurabashi vine bridge and Biwa Falls
- Ochiai village viewpoint
- Iya soba lunch
- Oku-Iya double vine bridges and the yaen cable cart
- Riverside walk at Oku-Iya with your guide
- Dinner at the hotel
Easier option: Watch the bridges from the bank instead of crossing, and take the shorter loop by the river at Oku-Iya.
More active option: Walk down from the Ochiai viewpoint through the hamlet's lanes, about 40 minutes on steep paths, and meet the van below.
Free time: Late afternoon free for the onsen
Activity: The Oku-Iya bridges open about April to November and close in winter and in bad weather, with exact dates confirmed at booking; Kazurabashi is open all year.
Kochi: Hirome Market and the castle
Iya Valley to Kochi by van
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kochi
- Drive about 2 h
Afternoon
After a slow breakfast we leave the valley and drive south through the mountains to Kochi, about two hours on the valley road and the expressway, arriving in time for lunch. Kochi sits on the Pacific side of Shikoku and is known for its food and its independent streak: it was the home of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the samurai who helped end the shogunate in the 1860s. Lunch is at Hirome Market, a covered hall of food stalls and shared tables, where the dish to try is katsuo no tataki, bonito seared over burning straw so the outside is smoky and the inside raw. In the afternoon we walk up to Kochi Castle, one of only twelve castles in Japan whose original keep survives, and the only one where the Honmaru Palace beside the keep still stands too. From the top floor you see the city and the mountains we came through.
Evening
The evening is free. If today is a Sunday, the street market on Otesuji, held on Sundays for centuries, runs below the castle until mid-afternoon.
Included
- Lunch at Hirome Market, with katsuo no tataki
- Kochi Castle with your guide
Free time: Evening free in Kochi
Activity: The castle keep has steep wooden stairs inside; you can wait in the grounds below.
Matsuyama Castle and an evening at Dogo Onsen
Kochi to Matsuyama by van
- Breakfast
- Stay in Matsuyama
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
A mid-morning start gives you time for a last walk in Kochi before we drive west across Shikoku to Matsuyama, about two hours on the expressways through the mountains.
Afternoon
Matsuyama is the largest city on the island and lunch here is on your own, near the castle. Matsuyama Castle stands on Katsuyama hill in the middle of the city; a ropeway or a chairlift saves the climb, and its keep is another of Japan's twelve original keeps. From the top you look out over the city to the Inland Sea, the water we crossed earlier in the week. Late in the afternoon we check in at our hotel in Dogo, the hot-spring quarter at the edge of the city.
Evening
In the evening, after a short briefing from your guide on bath etiquette, we go to Dogo Onsen Honkan, the wooden bathhouse completed in 1894, its roof topped by a small drum tower. Bathe, then stroll back through the arcade in the yukata the hotel provides. The rest of the evening is free.
Included
- Matsuyama Castle with your guide, with the ropeway or chairlift
- Onsen etiquette briefing
- A bath at Dogo Onsen Honkan
Optional experiences
- Asuka-no-Yu, the newer bathhouse in Dogo (paid locally)
More active option: Walk up Katsuyama to the castle instead of riding, about 20 minutes on a steep path.
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free in Dogo
Two pilgrim temples
Dogo to Ishiteji on foot, then by van to Joruriji
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Matsuyama
- Drive about 1 h
Shikoku's pilgrimage links 88 temples on a loop of about 1,200 km around the island, all tied to the monk Kukai, known as Kobo Daishi, who was born on Shikoku in the 8th century. Pilgrims in white still walk it. At about 8 am we walk 20 minutes from Dogo to Ishiteji, temple 51, before the day visitors. Its Nio-mon gate dates from the 14th century and is a National Treasure. Your guide shows what pilgrims do: bow at the gate, rinse hands and mouth at the water basin, ring the bell, light a candle and incense, leave a name slip, and recite or listen to the Heart Sutra at the main hall and again at the Daishi hall. At the temple office you can have a book stamped and inscribed in calligraphy. Then our van takes us south of the city to Joruriji, temple 46, a small temple among fields and old trees, where we repeat the steps more quietly, on our own. We are back in Dogo by lunchtime.
Evening
The afternoon is free, and the farewell dinner is in Matsuyama.
Included
- Ishiteji (temple 51) with your guide, with the pilgrim's etiquette at each step
- Joruriji (temple 46)
- Farewell dinner in Matsuyama
Optional experiences
- A nokyocho stamp book and temple stamps (paid at each temple office)
Easier option: Ride the van to Ishiteji instead of walking from Dogo.
More active option: Walk on from Joruriji along the pilgrim path to Yasakaji (temple 47), about 1 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Lunch on your own; afternoon free in Matsuyama
Activity: Temples are places of worship: shoulders covered, hats off in the halls, and no photos where signs ask.
Across the Inland Sea to Hiroshima
Matsuyama to Hiroshima by high-speed ferry
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
After breakfast the van takes us to Matsuyama Kanko port, and a high-speed ferry crosses the Inland Sea to Hiroshima's Ujina port in about 1 hour 15 minutes, past the islands of the Geiyo archipelago. A short ride brings us to the Peace Memorial Park, where your guide walks you past the Atomic Bomb Dome, listed by UNESCO in 1996, the Children's Peace Monument hung with paper cranes, and the cenotaph that frames the dome. We visit the Peace Memorial Museum together, about an hour and a half; its account of 6 August 1945 is hard to look at, and you can leave at any point and wait in the park. The trip ends at Hiroshima Station at about 1 pm, a time we confirm against the ferry timetable. From there the Shinkansen reaches Osaka in about an hour and a half and Tokyo in about four hours; Hiroshima Airport is about an hour away by bus.
Evening
Book flights from Kansai or Hiroshima for the evening or the next day.
Included
- High-speed ferry from Matsuyama to Hiroshima
- Peace Memorial Park with your guide
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Drop-off at Hiroshima Station
Free time: Free from about 1 pm (confirmed with the ferry timetable)
- Okayamastart
- Naoshima2 nights
- Takamatsu1 night
- Iya Valley2 nights
- Kochi1 night
- Matsuyama2 nights
- Hiroshimaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild and mostly dry: cherry blossom reaches Ritsurin and Matsuyama Castle about late March to early April, and the Iya Valley turns red and gold from about late October to mid-November. The rainy season runs from about early June to mid-July and summer is hot and humid. Typhoons from August to October can cancel Inland Sea ferries and close the narrow Iya roads; if that happens we reroute by bridge and road. The Iya Valley is cold in winter.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A second or third trip to Japan, after Tokyo and Kyoto
- Art and architecture lovers: Ando, Turrell, Nishizawa and Kusama
- Gardens, castles, onsen and quiet valleys more than shopping
- Curious about the Shikoku pilgrimage without walking it
- A mix of guided days and free afternoons
Not for you if you want
- First-time visitors set on Tokyo, Kyoto and Mount Fuji
- Step-free access: ferries, shrine stairways, vine bridges and station stairs
- The full 88-temple pilgrimage on foot: this is a taste of it
- Big-city nightlife: the island and valley evenings are quiet
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Naoshima2 nights
- Takamatsu1 night
- Iya Valley2 nights
- Kochi1 night
- Matsuyama2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 on Naoshima, 1 in Takamatsu, 2 in an onsen hotel in the Iya Valley, 1 in central Kochi, 2 in the Dogo onsen quarter of Matsuyama
- Hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Van from Okayama Station to Uno port
- Ferries from Uno to Naoshima, Naoshima to Teshima and back, and Naoshima to Takamatsu
- Island buses and the Benesse shuttle on Naoshima and Teshima
- Our own vehicle and driver across Shikoku from day 3 to day 9, carrying your suitcase
- The Oboke gorge boat
- The ropeway or chairlift at Matsuyama Castle
- High-speed ferry from Matsuyama to Hiroshima
- Drop-off at Hiroshima Station
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the first meeting in Okayama to the last morning in Hiroshima
Activities
- Naoshima: Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum, Benesse House Museum and the Art House Project
- Teshima: Teshima Art Museum and Les Archives du Coeur
- Takamatsu: Ritsurin Garden with matcha in the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse
- Kotohira: Kotohira-gu
- Oboke: the gorge boat
- Iya Valley: Kazurabashi, Biwa Falls, the Ochiai viewpoint, the Oku-Iya double vine bridges and a riverside walk
- Kochi: Kochi Castle
- Matsuyama: Matsuyama Castle, a bath at Dogo Onsen Honkan, Ishiteji and Joruriji with an etiquette briefing
- Hiroshima: the Peace Memorial Park and Peace Memorial Museum
- All entrance fees for included sights, with timed tickets booked for you
Meals
- All 8 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: on Teshima, Sanuki udon in Takamatsu, near Oboke, Iya soba, and Hirome Market in Kochi
- 5 dinners: a welcome dinner and a second dinner on Naoshima, two dinners at the Iya Valley hotel, and a farewell dinner in Matsuyama
Not included
- International flights to Japan and home
- Trains to Okayama and onward from Hiroshima
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 1, 7, 8 and 9, and dinners in Takamatsu, Kochi and on the first Matsuyama night
- Drinks
- Tips (not expected in Japan)
- Optional activities: bike hire on Naoshima, recording your heartbeat at Les Archives du Coeur, the wasen boat at Ritsurin, Asuka-no-Yu, a nokyocho stamp book and temple stamps
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,205 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, two on Naoshima and two in an Iya Valley onsen hotel, 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners, our own van on Shikoku, all ferries including the crossing to Hiroshima, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including all the Naoshima and Teshima art museums with timed tickets.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to share island buses, fit into timed museum slots like Chichu and Teshima Art Museum, and sit at one table in a valley restaurant, and it lets the van reach places a coach cannot.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the meeting at Okayama Station to the last morning in Hiroshima, handling every ferry, ticket and temple visit. We introduce your guide before you travel and send a pre-departure pack with the daily plan, hotel addresses and packing and etiquette notes.
How fit do I need to be?
You should be comfortable walking 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day with stairs. The Kotohira-gu stairway (785 steps) and crossing the vine bridge are optional, and there is an easy choice on each demanding day. Island hills are covered by buses, and no day has more than about two and a half hours in the van.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own costs a supplement of about CAD 1,205, shown up front because hotels in Japan price single rooms close to doubles. If you would rather share, ask us to match you with another solo guest of the same gender; if no match is found, we tell you before you pay.
When is the best time to go?
March to May and October to November. Spring brings cherry blossom to Ritsurin and Matsuyama Castle, and autumn colours fill the Iya Valley from about late October. June to mid-July is the rainy season, summer is hot and humid, and typhoons can cancel ferries from August to October.
How do I book, and when do I pay?
Send a booking request for your chosen date. We confirm availability within 24 hours and take no payment until we do. Prices are indicative until your departure is confirmed, and we send the full terms, hotels and payment schedule with the confirmation.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version runs for your party only on a date you choose, from about CAD 12,790 per person, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us for a separate quote; it is an inquiry, not one of the trip styles.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Citizens of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and most of Europe can visit Japan without a visa for short tourist stays. Check the current rules for your passport before you book, and complete Visit Japan Web before you fly.
Do I need to be Buddhist to visit the pilgrimage temples?
No. The Shikoku temples welcome visitors of any faith or none, and many pilgrims today walk for reasons that are not religious. Your guide shows you the customs at each step; joining in is your choice, and simply watching quietly is always fine.
Is the vine bridge safe to cross?
Yes. Kazurabashi is woven from vines around hidden steel cables and is rebuilt every few years. The slats are wide apart and the bridge sways, so it feels high, about 14 m above the river. Crossing is optional; you can watch from the bank and meet the group on the other side.
Can I use the onsen if I have tattoos?
Some baths do not admit visible tattoos, and rules differ between the Iya hotel and Dogo, with published Dogo policies in conflict. Tell us when you book: we confirm each bath's current policy and, where needed, arrange a private or family bath, or a room with its own bath, for both onsen nights.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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