14 Day Itinerary Question – Naoshima

Hey! Planning our trip (30yr old couple, first time Japan travelers) for March 2023, looking for some guidance to make the most of our time.

We’ll be in Japan for a total of 14 days and we are tentatively thinking:

* Tokyo: 6 nights
* Hiroshima/miyajima: 1 night \*staying in Miyajima
* **Naoshima: 1 night?**
* Kyoto/Osaka: 5 nights \*staying in Kyoto

Naoshima seems like something we would enjoy as we both very much appreciate contemporary architecture/art however I don’t want to spend the trip rushing to the next place. From my research I understand Hiroshima to Naoshima would be about \~3 hours travel time, is that correct? And then 3 hours to get from Naoshima to Kyoto? It isn’t the time spent physically traveling that worries me but the fear that we might be rushing out of Hiroshima to see Naoshima and potentially half-assing both of them.

We both enjoy laid back vibes and Noashima seems to have that…but as stated above I worry if the juice is worth the squeeze. We are savvy travelers and live in a city/used to public transportation; it isn’t a matter of travel logistics just simply getting the most of our time absorbing each respective area.

Any experiential feedback to help decide if Naoshima would be worth it in between Hiroshima/Miyajima and Kyoto – and if not, where should we allocate that night? If it helps, natural landscapes and relaxation interest me more than historical landmarks; but I also want to diversify and get a taste of all aspects of Japanese culture. We are open any ideas, not specifically popular tourist spots. Thanks in advance!