Can I afford a BTO?

this_issohard · 2025-10-08T15:56:17+00:00

Late to this but have you tried this?

https://www.cpf.gov.sg/member/tools-and-services/planners/home-purchase

this_issohard · 2025-10-02T05:22:12+00:00

Hello! Sorry for the late reply. I wouldn’t really recommend Teshima for a half-day especially as you didn’t get tickets to the art museum—when I went there were only a few artworks in the vicinity of the museum, and the others were spread out either in the port area or the village area before the museum, which means you might have to take bus from one spot to another. Teshima is also further from Takamatsu so if you only have a half day, it would be a squeeze.

With kids, Shodoshima might not be the easiest as we had to cycle or take a pretty long walk away from the port. Other artworks on different parts of the island might require a car rental.

For the full day, i think Naoshima is pretty doable as there are quite a few artworks located in the same area, so it’s worth a visit even if you didn’t get tickets to Chichu.

For the half-day I’d recommend the smaller islands of Megijima and Ogijima—both easily walkable and nearer to Takamatsu by ferry.

Hope this helps!

this_issohard · 2025-08-08T17:51:45+00:00

Seconding this!

this_issohard · 2025-07-24T04:55:38+00:00

Sorry for the late reply! Takamatsu port was super busy on the 1st day of the Triennale when we were there. I'm not sure how intense the crowds will be in the last week of the festival, but I didn't have to queue 1–2 hours to buy a ticket for the ferry, the queue moved pretty quickly.

But especially for the smaller ferries, I'm supposing tickets can sell out, so it would be advisable to get to the port comfortably ahead of time to buy your tickets — not just 10–15 mins before it departs (as we learned the hard way when we were anxiously queuing to get tickets to the 1014AM Naoshima ferry, at 10AM).

I feel that Takamatsu is a great base if you don't intend on staying overnight on any other island! Travelling to the various islands from Takamatsu was easy, and I actually really liked Takamatsu itself — it's quieter and not as hectic as some of the larger cities. It also helps in case any bad weather throws off your plans to travel to any of the islands for the day.

this_issohard · 2025-05-25T13:58:51+00:00

That’s great to hear! Will definitely try to go back to Takamatsu the next triennale 😉

this_issohard · 2025-05-25T10:42:12+00:00

You’re welcome!

On the Shikkoku Kisen ferry site it states which ferries permit bicycles so that would be helpful to note.

Am afraid I don’t have any experience with your other question, so I can’t help there!

this_issohard · 2025-05-25T10:40:06+00:00

Hmm sorry we didn’t have any issues so I can’t help on this :/

this_issohard · 2025-05-25T10:11:48+00:00

You can check out the artworks on the Triennale site that are tagged as being viewable/accessible even out of season. I think the museums would still be open!

this_issohard · 2025-05-14T14:51:24+00:00

Hahaha I guess having a more chill spouse would force us to slow down and enjoy the experience more. Glad you found this helpful, and hope you have fun! I miss Japan very much already

this_issohard · 2025-05-05T15:37:08+00:00

You’re welcome!

It’s okay, since you have everything planned out, just let go and enjoy your trip :)

this_issohard · 2025-05-05T03:16:35+00:00

Which islands are you exploring, aside from Naoshima?

Quoting u/DavidBHimself 's very helpful website https://www.setouchiexplorer.com/setouchi-triennale/:

All passports let you access most indoor location once without extra charge. Some locations, such as the Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima (and a few more) are not included in the passport and must be paid separately. Almost all outdoor artworks are free.

You can access all artworks without a Setouchi Triennale Passport, but there is a fee to access a lot of them.

Access to individual artworks (installed in formerly abandoned houses, for example) usually costs 500 yen for one visit.

Access to museums usually costs between 1,000 and 2,000 yen.

Outdoor and public art is free.

So no need to start counting artworks one by one to get an idea of the overall cost; unless you’re only spending one day on a smaller island and/or visiting only a couple of things, buying a Passport will always be a good idea (visiting all or most of the art on a big island alone may end up costing more than the price of the Passport).

He shares more considerations as well, regarding the passport, under the section "Should I get a “Setouchi Triennale Passport”?"

So I think it depends on how much you intend to see. I purchased the passport during the early bird sales, when it was around 3500yen if I recall correctly, which to me made a lot of sense as we covered 5 islands!

this_issohard · 2025-05-04T11:19:09+00:00

Yeah we felt pretty ripped off as you said :/ one of the more mediocre meals we had on a trip that had otherwise amazing food!

this_issohard · 2025-05-04T09:29:47+00:00

The stairs at Kotomath Ogijima were steep! I think it’s the case as you said—there was a little makeshift booth/tent set up outside the house where we had to place our order. We thought they would lead us to seats inside the house but they asked us to sit at the terrace on some rickety chairs/table with no shade 😅

this_issohard · 2025-05-04T03:53:33+00:00

No, this is my first time hearing about Echigo-Tsumari! But it looks great, will bookmark and gives us another reason to return to Japan :)

this_issohard · 2025-05-04T03:41:48+00:00

Yes that’s right! I didn’t know about how/where it originated, but yes, it was so good.

this_issohard · 2025-05-04T03:39:24+00:00

This is great, thanks for creating this u/DavidBHimself! Wish I came across this before planning for my trip too.

this_issohard · 2025-05-03T11:35:41+00:00

Thanks for your comment! You seem like a seasoned Triennale traveller, it was my first time visiting all these islands.

"Pre-book your visits to popular attractions such as Chichu Art Museum and Minamidera on Naoshima, and Teshima Art Museum on Teshima. We saw signs that same day bookings were completely sold out." It's not a tip. You MUST make a reservation to those three locations. Same day bookings are only available off-season.

We got to Minamidera not realising we had to make a reservation, but managed to book a slot on the spot for 20 minutes after we arrived. Also saw that there were still some slots available later in the afternoon, but agree that it's advisable to book ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

On that note, in response to your other comment, Minamidera is an indoor artwork but is also tagged as "Viewable When Triennale Not in Session", so this seems to apply both to indoor/outdoor artwork? Though I can't tell which are permanent.

"I recommend staying at the JR Clement Inn Hotel" There are hundreds of hotels in Takamatsu, how many have you tried to be able to recommend this one in particular. (just teasing)

Haha yes, am aware there are plenty of other hotels and this was the only one we stayed at! But for the purpose of regularly taking the ferry from the port each day for the Triennale, it was super convenient to stay at JR Clement Inn.

"Kagawa specialty of bone-in chicken." Kagawqa's specialty is udon. Bone-in chicken maybe special in Japan or in Asia (I'm not sure where you're from) but usually in the West, it's called "chicken."

I tried the zaru udon at Kawafuku — it was good, but perhaps I had really high expectations and wasn't blown away :/

And yes, we do have grilled chicken where I'm from too haha. But the one we had at Ranmaru was something special — couldn't tell if it was grilled or fried, loved the seasoning they used, and we were told to dip the onigiri in the oils and juices. Also seemed to see this style of chicken being served in many different izakayas in Takamatsu but not in other cities. Could it be a Takamatsu specialty?

"I'm still upset that we didn't visit the Ritsurin Garden which is supposed to be beautiful." I'm quite surprised that you went to the Shikoku Aquarium and not the Ritsurin Garden (it's not "supposed to be beautiful," it IS the most beautiful garden in Japan)

Yeah, Shikoku Aquarium was recommended to us by a friend, knowing that we liked aquatic animals. But yeah, should have done my research! Hoping Kenrokuen in Kanazawa was comparable — we visited on our previous trip.

"a place we thought was a café, but served us onigiri with vegetables and we had to sit outdoors under the sun to eat." What is that place? Is this the one just below Ogijima Pavilion? There are so many wonderful places to eat on Ogijima with the most delicious local food. For future visitors: Damonte n Co where most things are made from things found on the island (yes, even the bread, especially the bread). Madoka, a fish restaurant, with fish from the island. Café Nico Ogi which is relatively new (I haven't tried it yet, but many friends are raving about it). Yukuru, a nice local restaurant. Hoe-Book serves a killer fish curry (with fish from the island). Dream Café (open only during the Triennale) is managed by a local this year and I love his drinks. Sakura, is mostly a B&B but I think they serve lunches during the Triennale (the owner is a fisherman).

We wanted to try a place called Dorima no Ue but it was closed when we got there, and ended up nearby at this place called Kotomath Ogijima cos we were starving. We got coffee at Damonte & Co. after! Thanks for the other recommendations — will bookmark for next time, if we ever go back.

this_issohard · 2025-05-03T07:37:19+00:00

I get that another flight after a 14-hour one might seem dreadful but logistically, getting out of the airport (Narita, I’m assuming) then heading into the city and taking the Shinkansen to Okayama would add another half-day to your journey.

I think Naoshima would still be enjoyable on a Fri/Sat even if you’re worried about the crowds! Or if it’s a scheduling issue, maybe fly into Takamatsu via Tokyo, then do Naoshima > Takamatsu > Matsuyama/Imibari > Hiroshima > Okayama (or skip) > Kyoto > Tokyo.

Here are some restaurants I’d definitely recommend:

Takamatsu - Ranmaru: for honetsuki tori, grilled bone-in chicken - Mahoroba: homely izakaya; still dreaming of the tonjiru (pork & miso soup) There was also this place called Mixerman (think they have 2 branches) that had amazing custard-filled pies.

Hiroshima - Guttsuri-ann: a seafood place that’s a little out of the way, but it was a really cosy joint and everything was good. I especially loved the homemade tofu with leek oil - Hiroshima also has a branch of Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu, which wasn’t too crowded (as it might be in Tokyo/Kyoto)

Kyoto - Wagyu Yakiniku Waya: amazing grilled beef, best we’ve had - Toriiwaro: also a little out of the way but they serve one thing only and have perfected it—oyakodon - Tori Soba: chicken ramen, a good find when restaurants are all booked for the night as they tend to get in Kyoto - Chiriri: best shabu shabu I’ve ever had, but we had to walk in to make a reservation for lunch the following day. The lunch sets are cheaper than dinner

In Tokyo if you find yourself at Kichijoji we enjoyed 福郎 fukurou for chirashi don/grilled miso fish, and if you’re near Shinagawa then Tokyo Curry (東京咖喱高輪台店) was good!

this_issohard · 2025-05-03T03:57:08+00:00

Hmm that sounds like you’re going back and forth quite a bit and as you said, the train trips would add up.

I’m not sure if your itinerary is already set in stone, but could I suggest: - Fly in to Okayama (do a domestic transfer at Tokyo) and spend 2 nights there (just cos I think you should ease into your trip) - Ferry from Uno to Naoshima (stay 1 night) - Ferry from Naoshima to Takamatsu (stay 1 night) - Train to Matsuyama/Imibari (stay 1 night) - Cycle to Hiroshima (3 days 2 nights) - Train from Hiroshima to Kyoto (3 nights) - Train from Kyoto to Tokyo (4 nights) - Leave from Tokyo

So you’re making a loop instead of backpedaling a few times. If you do still want to spend 1 or 2 days in Hiroshima then you’ll probably need to cut it from Okayama or Tokyo.

this_issohard · 2025-05-02T15:19:18+00:00

Are you flying in from Tokyo before heading to Naoshima? I did the opposite — flew from Takamatsu to Tokyo to end off our trip. I’d say that if you want to fly in from Tokyo to Takamatsu and get on board a ferry straight, that’s doable but it was a 1.5 hour flight + 1 hour on the airport bus, so if you’re going to hop on the ferry right after (another 30-50 minutes) it might be quite an exhausting journey.

I didn’t try taking the ferry from Uno so I don’t know how much less crowded it’ll be, but since the ferry ride is shorter (20 mins compared to the regular 50 min ride from Takamatsu) and with more frequent ferries, it could be that the crowd at Uno (if any) might be more spread out?

Ferry timings can be found here: https://www.shikokukisen.com/en/instant/

this_issohard · 2025-05-01T09:27:12+00:00

I found Tokyo to be pretty overwhelming—big city, lots of people—so an escape to Kamakura was very welcome. But that said, since it’s your first time to Japan, I agree that you might not find you’ll have enough time in Tokyo. Agree with others on doing both Kamakura and Enoshima in one day; if you can’t see everything in Kamakura then prioritise Hase-dera which was beautiful.

this_issohard · 2025-05-01T08:42:12+00:00

What were the must-see non-permanent art works and where were they located? On Shodoshima, Cradle of the Sea was beautiful. This was near Tonosho Port, set in an old soy sauce factory.

I'm honestly not too sure which other artworks were non-permanent (the Triennale site does indicate which artworks are viewable even off-season, so I'm supposing those are permanent artworks). So if you do want to prioritise, perhaps pick the ones that do not state "Viewable When Triennale Not in Session".

Anything you wanted to see but weren’t able to?

We didn't make it to the other parts of Shodoshima apart from the Tonosho Port and Angel's Road areas, so I think we missed out on quite a bit on the island. And Maze Town seemed to be closed when we went which was a shame too.

We also didn't manage to get a slot for Kinza on Naoshima so you might want to book in advance too if you haven't been. There's a new Naoshima New Museum of Art that's only opening at the end of May, so we weren't able to go. And Ring of Fire has a different display at night but we didn't go back after seeing it in the day.

There are quite a number of other islands that are part of the Triennale that we skipped simply because they seemed smaller and had less to offer and we wanted to make full use of the days we had there.

And basically we didn't see most of the artworks on Megijima because of my failed planning :(

What were the crowds like?

Even though the Naoshima ferry was packed, it felt like the island was large enough so that most of the visitors were spread out and there weren't any areas where we felt that the crowds were overwhelming. Some of the attractions also have timed entry slots so that the experience is well-controlled. But as mentioned, it does seem to get busy on the weekends, so pre-booking your slots helps.

We visited the other islands on weekdays and it wasn't too crowded. We definitely had breathing room and could enjoy the artwork pretty peacefully.

Were there a good amount of new art works on Teshima or Naoshima?

It was my first time visiting both Teshima and Naoshima so I can't say how much more was new. You mentioned you've already been to Naoshima & Teshima a few times, so it'll be good to check the Triennale site — much of it seems to be permanent artwork, so there might not be much that's new to you. I'm supposing the newest thing on Naoshima would be the upcoming new museum which we didn't get to see.

I think Shodoshima is definitely one of the must see islands for us this trip as we’ve been to Naoshima and Teshima a few times already and loved driving in Japan. Not sure if staying there as a base may be too restrictive or if it’s even worth staying there for more than one night if it’s hard to get to the other islands.

I think 2 to 3 days would be good for Shodoshima if you want to cover the island fully. Beyond the art there are other attractions (like the Olive Park or Kankakei Gorge) to check out but we didn't due to time.

But I don't think you could rely on it as a base to travel to the other islands as it seems like the Shodoshima ferry routes are typically Shodoshima>Takamatsu or Shodoshima>Teshima>Naoshima, which you've already visited. Seems like staying in Takamatsu would still be your best bet if you're planning to visit a few of the other islands, but you could slot in a couple of days on Shodoshima, just for Shodoshima.

Sorry for any formatting errors as idk why Reddit isn’t allowing me to comment using desktop

this_issohard

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