★★★★★ 5.0
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Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Ninety-two years ago, a French traffic accident changed Tokyo architecture forever. Standing before this elegant Art Deco mansion in Shirokanedai, you're witnessing the result of Prince Asaka Yasuhiko's 1922 crash in France... an injury that kept him and Princess Nobuko in Paris for three transformative years during Art Deco's golden age. Look at that understated facade - architect Gondo Yokichi deliberately avoided Japan's traditional elevated structures and hip-and-gable roofs, creating something revolutionary for 1933 Tokyo. But the real magic waits inside, where French master Henri Rapin designed interiors that scandalized conservative Japan, while René Lalique crafted decorative glass that still catches light exactly as intended. Here's what most visitors never realize... this building has housed more power than almost any structure in Japan. After Princess Nobuko tragically died shortly after its completion, it became the Prime Minister's official residence from 1947 to 1950, then served as the State Guest House for nearly twenty-five years. Every diplomatic secret, every crucial decision that shaped modern Japan passed through these Art Deco halls. The miracle? Despite serving three completely different purposes, nearly every original detail survives unchanged - making this one of the world's most perfectly preserved examples of East-meets-West Art Deco design.
Did You Know?
- Originally built in 1933 as the private residence of Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the museum is a rare fusion of French Art Deco and Japanese aesthetics—the prince, inspired by the Art Deco movement during his time in Paris, commissioned French artists like Henri Rapin and René Lalique to design the interiors, resulting in one of Japan’s finest examples of Art Deco architecture, all without the French artists ever visiting Japan; the collaboration happened entirely by mail, with designs and ideas sent back and forth across continents.
- The museum is famous for its hidden artistic treasures, such as the 'Perfume Tower'—a unique Rapin-designed fountain that once filled the grand hall with the princess’s favorite scents—as well as original Lalique glass-relief doors, chandeliers, and wall paintings, many of which were custom-made for the residence and remain in place today, offering visitors a rare, immersive glimpse into early 20th-century aristocratic life.
- While the interior dazzles with Western opulence, the surrounding garden is a serene, traditionally Japanese landscape, complete with seasonal flowers, ponds, and sculptures—this harmonious blend of East and West makes the museum a unique cultural landmark, and its name, 'Teien,' literally means 'garden,' highlighting the importance of nature alongside art and design.