Teshima Island

What to know

Teshima (豊島) is a rural island in the Seto Inland Sea that has joined nearby Naoshima and Inujima as a compelling destination for contemporary art in recent decades. The island also serves as one of the venues for the Setouchi Triennale, an art festival held once every three years in the region.

The main attraction on Teshima is the Teshima Art Museum, one of Japan's most intriguing contemporary artworks. Set among terraced rice fields, this simple concrete structure engages visitors' senses with the play of water droplets on a concrete surface. Several other artworks are scattered across the island's three fishing villages. Most are open almost daily, especially the larger museums and outdoor installations, though some smaller artworks are only open on weekends and holidays.

Another permanent artwork on the island is Les Archives du Coeur ("Heart Archives"), located in a small building along the beach on the eastern outskirts of Karato. It is one of several locations worldwide where visitors can record their heartbeat and listen to the recorded heartbeats of others in a slightly eerie setting. The same French artist, Christian Boltanski, also created The Last Class at the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale.

Teshima is the region's second largest island after Shodoshima. A forested mountain rises in its center, and a circular road connects its three small fishing villages. Two of the villages have ferry ports: Karato and Ieura, with the latter being the more important. Half a day to a full day is needed to explore the peaceful island with its slow-paced atmosphere and rural landscape. Dining, shopping, and lodging options are limited, but note that one artwork, the Shima Kitchen in Karato, also serves as a restaurant.

Without prior knowledge, visitors would not realize that Teshima once made headlines due to a toxic waste scandal in the 1980s, when a company illegally dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic waste on the island's western tip. Cleanup efforts were completed in 2017.

Teshima is served by two ferry lines. One runs between Teshima's Ieura Port and Takamatsu, with some ferries stopping at Honmura Port on Naoshima along the way. The second runs between Uno Port in Okayama and Shodoshima, making stops at both Ieura and Karato Ports on Teshima.