Located in a fashionable district of Aoyama in Tokyo, the Nezu Museum houses a collection of pre-modern Japanese and East Asian art. Displayed across a two-storey museum building and surrounded by a beautiful 17,000m² traditional garden, including a stylish café, the Nezu Museum is one of Tokyo’s cultural highlights.

The museum holds around 7000 works of art including calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, lacquerware, armories, and textiles showcasing Eastern/Buddhist art in its permanent collection, which is rotated periodically and complemented by a calendar of special exhibitions through the year.

While the museum first opened in 1941, the current museum building dates to 2006 and was designed by acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma and in itself is a pleasant and peaceful escape from the congestion of the surrounding city. If you’re in Tokyo and looking for a museum that elucidates the beauty and skill to traditional Eastern crafts, the Nezu Museum is highly recommended.