WeBase Takamatsu: The Smart Base for Setouchi Art Island Hopping

Takamatsu is a city that earns its reputation as the gateway to Japan's art islands. From its port, ferries run to Naoshima — the island that transformed from an industrial zone into one of the most significant contemporary art destinations in the world — in thirty to fifty minutes. Teshima, home to the Teshima Art Museum, follows. Megijima and Ogijima are twenty and forty minutes respectively. Every three years, the Setouchi Triennale fills these islands and the Takamatsu waterfront with new work. Between editions, the permanent museums — the Chichu Art Museum, the Benesse Art House, the Lee Ufan Museum — remain open and worth the ferry ride in any season.

WeBase Takamatsu is the best hotel in the city for the kind of traveler who plans their days around ferry timetables and exhibition hours. It is the largest accommodation in Takamatsu by room count, combines hostel flexibility with hotel-grade private rooms, and operates out of a central location that puts Marugame-machi Shopping Arcade a few steps away and Takamatsu Port twenty minutes on foot.

The Property: Hostel and Hotel Combined

WeBase opened in December 2018 and underwent a significant expansion in January 2022 with the addition of a new executive floor on the 11th floor. The building holds 233 rooms across two formats. The dormitory floor occupies the 10th floor — capsule-style beds with privacy curtains, shared bathrooms, a kitchen, and coin laundry. The private room floors occupy levels 3 through 9 and the new 11th floor, offering single and twin rooms with private bathrooms, refrigerators, and espresso machines. Every room in the building has air conditioning, blackout curtains, free WiFi, and a safe.

The women's floor is a particularly thoughtful detail: it offers an exclusive floor with dedicated amenities including the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer and PROVINSCIA shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. These are specific product choices that suggest genuine attention to what solo female travelers actually want — not a tokenistic addition but a fully considered space. Guest reviews from women travelers consistently mention this floor as a significant positive.

The ground-floor lounge is designed for work and community. With 116 seats, free WiFi, power outlets throughout, a desktop computer, and a printer available around the clock, it functions as a full coworking space for days when rain or ferry delays keep guests onshore. Around a hundred books and magazines covering business, travel, and art are available to browse — a modest library, but one that reflects the hotel's positioning as a base for the kind of curious traveler who comes to Takamatsu for reasons beyond the shopping arcades.

Breakfast: Sanuki Udon and 50 Dishes

The breakfast buffet at WeBase Takamatsu runs daily from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM and is one of the hotel's best assets. Over fifty dishes rotate daily, drawing on Kagawa Prefecture's local ingredients alongside international options. The centerpiece is the Sanuki Udon station — a self-serve setup where guests choose their own noodles and toppings, recreating the experience of Kagawa's most famous food tradition in the hotel's own dining room. Sanuki udon is not something to underestimate: Kagawa is to udon what Osaka is to takoyaki, and the prefecture takes considerable pride in the quality and variety of its noodle culture. Eating Sanuki udon for breakfast in Takamatsu is a correct decision.

Guest reviews frequently name the breakfast as a highlight, with multiple visitors noting the freshly baked bread station and the range of Japanese dishes available alongside the international options. For travelers catching early morning ferries to the islands, the 7 AM opening is practical as well as satisfying.

Takamatsu as an Art and Manga Base

The ferry from Takamatsu Port to Naoshima runs roughly hourly and costs ¥520 one way. Teshima is accessible via Naoshima or by less frequent direct services. The Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima — featuring five Monet Water Lilies paintings displayed under natural light in a building designed entirely underground by Tadao Ando — requires timed reservations and justifies the entire trip to this region. The Benesse House, where guests can stay overnight surrounded by permanent art installations, is the other major destination on the island.

The Setouchi Triennale, held every three years across twelve islands and two port cities, uses Takamatsu as its primary mainland hub. During festival seasons, WeBase fills with travelers coordinating island routes and comparing exhibition notes in the lounge. Outside festival years, the permanent collections on Naoshima and Teshima remain accessible year-round. For manga travelers specifically, the art-and-island itinerary available from Takamatsu offers a fundamentally different kind of cultural depth than the city-based experiences available in Tokyo or Osaka — slower, more physical, more embedded in landscape.

Within Takamatsu itself: Ritsurin Garden, one of Japan's finest strolling gardens and a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty, is accessible by the same bus line as the ferry terminal. Takamatsu Castle ruins sit at the waterfront. The Marugame-machi covered shopping arcade — one of the longest in Japan — begins a short walk from the hotel's front entrance.

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