And 2019 is a especially good year to visit, marking the fourth edition of the Setouchi Triennale, when smaller and equally charming islands also spring to life showcasing the work of contemporary artists alongside the year-round collections.
Open for one month in spring, they are on show again from late July until August 25 and then September 28-November 4, coinciding with spectacular autumn foliage and World Rugby Cup fixtures in Japan.
Two and a half hours by train from Osaka — half the time it would have taken from Tokyo — we knew the journey had been worth it, even before our ferry pulled into tiny Ogijima from the port city of Takamatsu, the gateway to the art islands.
Standing in stark contrast to the dozens of wooden, pagoda-roofed houses climbing the hill, a shiny white curved tuile of a building turned out to be the ferry terminal, into whose lacy roof celebrated sculptor Jaume Plensa has incorporated letters from the Hebrew alphabet.
On the other side of the island we discovered Walking Ark, a compelling sculpture resembling Ogijima itself being carried on the shoulders of children — appropriate for an island which has achieved the festival’s aims of regeneration through art.
Today, young families stroll the traffic-free paths alongside the island’s ageing population, with a new school, library and even coffee roaster springing up to serve them in recent years.
We fuelled up with an excellent brew at The Old Man and the Sea café-library before exploring a video installation transforming the old Post Office into an underwater world, a traditional village house decorated with beautiful abstract brush-strokes, and vividly contrasting walls in lanes and alleys adorned with Japanese tree motifs.
On equally tiny Megijima, we enjoyed beachside sculptures including a grand piano cast in bronze which looked set to take to sea on its flapping sails. Oshima island on the other side was unexpectedly eerie.
As we strolled on paths punctuated with gardens and shrines but devoid of people, every step seemed to be accompanied by carillon-like chimes. No wonder this island felt like the set of The Prisoner; lepers were forcibly settled here a century ago.
The artworks here took second place to an excellent, surprisingly Ashkenazi-style cheesecake at the attractive cafe within the sanatorium which dominates the island.
While these three islands can be covered in two days, you’ll need a further two for Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima and their permanent world-class museums.
The complicated ferry timetables, with more boats running while the Triennale is in session, are not always easy to decipher so it’s worth booking with a tour operator familiar with the region.
You’ll also need to book the Chichu Museum on Naoshima in advance too. The jewel in the crown of the island’s offerings, it houses works by just three artists — Monet, five of whose waterlily canvasses have their own sublime gallery, James Turrell, known for his skyspaces through which to gaze at passing clouds, and immersive lightworks (the Chichu has one of each) and a spectacular, temple-like installation by Walter de Maria.
Naoshima’s Benesse House Museum, also by noted architect Tadao Ando, houses the work of many world-famous 20th century artists too, along several other art sites to explore on this island.
Part pricy hotel as well as museum, Benesse House is inevitably sold out when the Triennale is in session. The delightful Wright Style, a simple but sweet hotel five minutes away made a great alternative, while the JR Clement hotel at Takamatsu was just minutes from both station and port.
On larger, hillier Teshima, you’ll need a bus ride to reach its highlight: the teardrop-shaped Teshima Art Museum containing just one work, an installation of water trickling in perpetual motion across the floor of a huge, shallow dome where visitors sit in peaceful contemplation.
As with the Chichu, admission is controlled to prevent overcrowding, and worth the wait for a unique and unforgettable experience.
Back beside the port is the Teshima Yokoo House, a colourful and intriguing house conversion whose paintings offer a humorous commentary on life and death.
And little Inujima’s key attraction is a museum designed as a protest against ill-considered modernisation, set on the site of an abandoned copper refinery, while its few pretty streets feature imaginative artist takeovers of empty houses and plots.
From the islands it’s easy to travel west to Hiroshima, whose deeply affecting Peace Museum has just reopened; this is also the jumping off point for the exquisite shrine island of Miyajima.
Both are accessible from Osaka within a day trip, as are the World Heritage Site shrines and temples of Kyoto, just a 16-minute bullet train ride to the east.
And save some time for Osaka itself, where the Conrad hotel makes a luxurious base to explore this sprawling business city — ideally with a guided tour to see the Dotonbori area at night, teeming with local foodies — for a small taste of that buzzing modern side to Japan before you leave.
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