Teshima Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Teshima (豊島) is an island in the Seto Inland Sea and is part of Marugame City, Kagawa, Japan.

Like Naoshima and Inujima, Teshima is famous for its contemporary art exhibits.

Teshima has an area of approximately 14.5 km² and a population of approximately 1,000 people.

There is a circular road that connects 3 fishing villages on the island. A mountain is in the middle of the island.

Teshima has been inhabited for 14,000 years.

The island was the subject of a scandal in which 600,000 tons of toxic waste were illegally dumped on the island. In 2000, after a 25-year legal battle, the waste was transported to Naoshima for processing.

The local tourist association has a bilingual guide site.

Ferries operate to/from Uno Port in Tamano (40 minutes) and to/from Shodoshima (¥480-770). The ferry schedule is available online.

There are two ports On Teshima: Ieura and Karato. Both ports have lockers available for luggage storage (¥300-500).

Shuttle buses circumnavigate the island and cost ¥200 for adults or ¥100 for children.

Bicycles can be rented at either port.

• Teshima Art Museum, 607 Karato, ☏ +81 879 68 3555. The museum, which resembles a water droplet landing on concrete, was created by Ryue Nishizawa. It has only has 1 exhibit: Matrix, by the artist Rei Naito. Silence and bare feet are required. ¥1,540, free for aged 15 and under. 
• Les Archives du Coeur (Heart Archives). Listen to the heartbeats of people who have visited here and at other installations around the world. You can then make a recording of and listen to your heartbeat! Your heartbeat may then be played for future visitors. 

• The Setouchi Triennale aka Setouchi International Art Festival. The festival takes place over several islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Works of contemporary art are installed throughout the islands. The festival is held every 3 years. It consists of 3 sessions in each of the spring, summer, and fall. The next festival is geing planned for 2022. (updated Dec 2020)

Free WiFi is available at the port, limited to 8 sessions of 30 minutes each per day (total of 240 minutes/day).

• Tamano
• Shodoshima
• Naoshima