NAOSHIMA: CAFES & RESTAURANTS IN MUSEUM AREA

There are few places to eat around the Benesse Art Site, except for Benesse House and Tsutujiso Café. You may not find any venues selling takeout food, either. If you visit the museums (requires an admission fee), you can have meals or tea at the museum café or restaurant. However, if you are simply walking around, looking at the outdoor art pieces, you will not find anywhere to eat or otherwise relax. Moreover, priority is given to hotel guests at the museum restaurants; as such, it is possible that no seats will be available for non-museum guests. It is therefore recommended that you plan where to eat, or whether to bring something to eat with you. Also, take note children younger than six years of age are not allowed in the museum restaurants.

Eating at this special place filled with art is a unique benefit reserved only for museum visitors and as such, you may want to experience it when you are visiting. Particularly at Benesse House Museum, designed by Tadao Ando, both the café and the restaurant are situated at the border of the upper ground and underground – or the sky and the sea – with an open and inviting atmosphere. The simple interior enhances the impression of the art pieces that decorate the rooms and the scenic beauty outside the windows. You can enjoy a meal or tea in a relaxing environment while appreciating the art merging with the scenery.

[Address] Gotanji, Naoshima-cho, Kagawa-gun, Kagawa-ken, Japan
[Phone] 087-892-3223
[Closed] Mondays (closed on Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday)
http://benesse-artsite.jp/stay/benessehouse/restaurant_cafe.html

This restaurant is located on the second floor of the museum. The large windows allow for a spectacular view over the Seto Inland Sea. The restaurant serves light meals including pasta dishes, squid ink curry (¥1250), as well as coffee, tea and other drinks including beer and wine. You can also find books and museum merchandise at the adjacent museum shop.

[Opening Hours] 10:00 to 17:00 (last order 16:30)

A Japanese restaurant situated on the ground floor of the museum. Views of the sea and contemporary art pieces can be enjoyed from all seats. The restaurant serves a kaiseki course menu, featuring seafood from the Inland Sea for dinner, while the lunch menu also offers a range of seasonal meals. Tables at the restaurant are available at reservation only and priority is given to hotel guests. Therefore, tables may not be available to non-guests during busy seasons.

[Opening Hours] 11:30 to 14:30 (last order 14:00) and 18:00 to 21:45
*Please note that children under the age of six are not permitted in the restaurant

Chichu Art Museum, designed by Tadao Ando and built mostly underground, is celebrated for its unique use of natural light. This also applies to the museum's café, which features a full glass window wall, through which you can see the Inland Sea and Takamatsu City beyond it. You can step out into the cafe garden for fresh air or have a relaxing walk around the small park that gently slopes towards the coast. The cafe serves light meals including cakes, soups, quiches and salads, as well as bottled drinks including Setouchi Olive Cider (non-alcohol soda), coffee and tea.

The adjacent Chichu Store (museum shop) has a wide selection of books related to the artists whose works are on display, as well as collection catalogs that include many photos of the artworks. There is a wide range of merchandise available that will help you to appreciate the art on display in the museum once you have returned to your daily life. Some are original and only available at this shop, so if you find a favorite, you should buy it here.

[Address] 3449-1, Naoshima-cho, Kagawa-gun, Kagawa-ken, Japan
[Closed] Museum holidays (Mondays*Open on national holidays but closed the following day.)
[Opening Hours]
March 1 to September 20, 10:30-17:45(last orders at 17:30)
October 1 to end of February, 10:30-16:45(Last orders at 16:30)
[Phone] 087-892-2558(direct line to café)
*Open to museum visitors only