Museum · Shirokanedai

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum 東京都庭園美術館

A 1933 Art Deco mansion built for Prince Asaka, with René Lalique glass doors and Henri Rapin interiors, now a museum hosting design and decorative-arts exhibitions inside the house itself, set in lawns and a Japanese garden in Shirokanedai.

About

Prince Yasuhiko Asaka fell for Art Deco while living in Paris in the 1920s and came home to build the purest example of the style in Japan. French designer Henri Rapin decorated the main rooms, René Lalique made the glass-relief angels on the front doors and the crystal chandeliers in the dining room, and Imperial Household Ministry architects handled the rest, down to custom radiator grilles and a perfume fountain lit from within. The house, an Important Cultural Property, is the museum: every exhibition is installed through the salons, so you see fashion, glass or textiles framed by marble mantels and lacquered panels. A white-cube annex by Hiroshi Sugimoto adds a modern gallery and the cafe. The grounds have a broad lawn, a stroll-style Japanese garden with a teahouse and a western garden; garden-only tickets are cheap. Autumn 2026 brings a Marimekko pattern exhibition (Oct 3 to Dec 20).

Highlights

• Lalique's glass-relief winged figures on the main entrance doors
• Henri Rapin's "perfume fountain" glowing in the main hall
• Grand Dining Room with Lalique chandeliers and silvered plaster walls
• Marimekko exhibition: The Power of Pattern (Oct 3 – Dec 20, 2026)
• Hiroshi Sugimoto-designed annex with a lawn-facing cafe
• Japanese garden with a teahouse and seasonal maples

Tips

• The garden-only ticket is just ¥200 and the lawn is a lovely place to sit even between exhibitions.
• During exhibition changeovers the house and annex close but the garden stays open; check the schedule before making a special trip.
• Photography inside the house is often allowed on certain days or rooms only; check the rules at the entrance.
• Combine with the Matsuoka Museum of Art and the Institute for Nature Study, both a few minutes' walk away in Shirokanedai.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Institute for Nature StudyPark · 100 m away
• JizozushiSushi & Seafood · 220 m away
• TorishikiIzakaya · 360 m away
• Matsuoka Museum of ArtMuseum · 420 m away
• Meguro CinemaMovie Theaters · 450 m away
• Platinum Don Quijote ShirokanedaiUnique Store · 480 m away
• Coin Lockers · Meguro StationLuggage Storage · 500 m away
• Minato City Local History MuseumMuseum · 550 m away