Nezu Museum

Eight minutes on foot from Omotesando Station, past the fashion flagships on Miyuki-dori, a long bamboo-lined walkway leads into Kengo Kuma's main building, finished in 2009 under a deep tiled roof. The collection was put together by Nezu Kaichiro, the businessman who ran Tobu Railway; the museum opened on his estate in 1941, burned in the 1945 air raids and has been rebuilt in stages since. It now holds about 7,600 works, 7 of them National Treasures. The best known is Ogata Korin's Irises screen, which comes out only from late April to mid-May, around the same weeks the irises flower in the garden pond. That is the busiest stretch of the year, and slots sell out. The rest of the year the six galleries rotate small, focused shows of ceramics, lacquer, Buddhist sculpture and tea utensils. Then there is the garden: 17,000 square meters sloping down to a pond, stone paths, four tea houses and NEZUCAFE behind glass. It is only open to ticket holders, so it stays calm. Photos are not allowed in the galleries, and the museum closes for a week or more between exhibitions, so check the schedule.