Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

Kagawa Prefecture


Born in Los Angeles to a Japanese poet and an American writer, Noguchi (1904–1988) set up a studio and residence here in 1970. Today the complex is filled with hundreds of Noguchi's works, mostly unfinished. Inspiring sculptures are displayed in the beautifully restored buildings and in the surrounding landscape. You can also check out the house in which Noguchi lived. Email ahead for reservations, preferably two weeks or more in advance (see the website for reservations and access details).

Tours in English are possible.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kagawa Prefecture attractions

1. Temple 85: Yakuri-ji

0.89 MILES

Half the fun of visiting Yakuri-ji may be riding the retro cable car up and down to the temple, but this is a spectacular place in its own right, sitting…

2. Shikoku-mura

1.25 MILES

About 500m north of Yashima station, Shikoku-mura is an excellent village museum that houses old buildings transported here from all over Shikoku and…

3. Temple 84: Yashima-ji

1.39 MILES

Yashima-ji, Temple 84 of the 88, sits atop the tabletop mountain of Yashima, to the east of Takamatsu. This was the site of a decisive battle between the…

4. Takamatsu-jō

4.27 MILES

The site of Takamatsu's castle now forms delightful Tamamo-kōen, a park where the walls and seawater moat survive, along with several of the original…

5. Takamatsu City Museum of Art

4.44 MILES

This impressive inner-city gallery is testament to Takamatsu's quality art scene. The light and spacious refitting of a former Bank of Japan building is a…

6. Ritsurin-kōen East Gate

4.87 MILES

The East Gate to Ritsurin-kōen is a beautiful place to start a walking course through the garden.

7. Ritsurin-kōen

4.9 MILES

One of the most beautiful gardens in the country, Ritsurin-kōen dates from the mid-1600s and took more than a century to complete. Designed as a walking…

8. Sanuki Folkcraft Museum

4.91 MILES

This museum in Ritsurin-kōen displays local crafts, household goods, furniture and roof tiles in its four halls, dating back to the Tokugawa dynasty.