Benesse House

Part museum, part hotel, Benesse House is a triumph of thoughtful and purposeful beauty within the art haven of Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Designed by the illustrious concrete architect Tadao Ando, Benesse House consists of four hauntingly minimalist facilities—the Museum, Oval, Park, and Beach—on the southern coast of Naoshima Island, an art, architecture, and nature lover’s paradise in the Seto Inland Sea.

Property Details

The 65 rooms at Benesse House are clean, ample, and straightforward so as to not detract from the grandeur of the island, with floor-to-ceiling windows to enhance the beauty of the surrounding art. Each of the rooms are different in their offerings based on which facility they belong to. Families will love the eight Beach suites along the water’s edge, or the Park suites with their private terraces overlooking the art-filled gardens. Art enthusiasts might prefer the Museum and Oval guestrooms, as they bring guests as close to the artwork as possible and provide 24-hour access to the museum. The Museum’s interiors boast some of the museum’s rare drawings, paintings, and prints, and the six luxurious Oval suites feature private terraces with views of the Shikoku mountains and the sea, as well as grand Richard Long and David Tremlett murals.

Benesse Art Site Naoshima is an unforgettable symbiosis of art and nature, displaying multiple Japanese and international works of art, all inspired by the natural surroundings of Naoshima Island. Nearly 20 pieces of art spread out on the lawns and beaches around Benesse House, while the onsite museum hosts the stunning modern art collection of Japanese multimillionaire Nobuko Fukutake. Further afield, the Chichu Art Museum, the Art House Project in Honmura, the James Turrell House, and The Ando Museum are even more examples of the mesmerizing character of this secluded art island.

Naoshima might be a small island, but the exclusive food, art, and relaxation amenities here are as plenteous as they are inspiring. Spend time meandering through the museum’s works of Giacometti, Jasper Johns, Sam Francis, Jackson Pollock, and David Hockney, stopping along the way at the Park Lounge or the Museum Café for coffee, snacks, and a perusal through the art books. After exploring the island, retreat back to the Benesse House SPA The Theatre by Natura Bissé, for serene anti-aging Natura Bissé treatments and dine on either the Michelin-starred Terrace Restaurant’s beautiful, multi-course French cuisine under the advisement of Tateru Yoshino, or the traditional kaiseki and seafood at the Museum Restaurant Issen, a tranquil space boasting Andy Warhol’s Flowers and Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Time Exposed. Conclude the day with a soak in the Jacuzzi, facing the extraordinary desert-like volcanic island, and leave with a sense of awe around the mysterious and enigmatic nature of Naoshima.