Tokyo is packed with some of the world’s top museums and galleries, but further afield in Japan are even more fantastic art hubs. From art islands to immaculate gardens, these are some of Japan’s best art destinations ? and four biennales and triennales not to be missed.

Miho Museum
Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima
Kagawa Prefecture
Three islands in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea – Naoshima, and to a lesser extent Teshima and Inujima – are contemporary art wonderlands. All three are easy to explore on foot or by bike, which you can rent just outside the ferry terminal. Seeing enormous art installations dotted throughout the rural island landscape is wonderfully surreal. Highlights include Yayoi Kusama’s giant, colorful kabocha pumpkins on Naoshima, the stunning Teshima Art Museum, and the quirky Inujima Art House Project. Visit Benesse Art Site for information on the art islands and the Benesse House hotel. Read more: Naoshima, the Art Island
Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin on Naoshima Island (photo by Jean-Marie Hullot / CC BY)
Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan
Kagawa Prefecture
A short ferry ride from Naoshima, and just outside the coastal city of Takamatsu, you’ll find The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan. Noguchi worked here in Mure, a small town just outside of Takamatsu, for six months of the year for the last twenty years of his career. The museum is a result of Noguchi’s wish that his studio in Mure be made into a space like his...