Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum — Attraction in Tokyo

Built in 1933 with a traditional Japanese tea garden of maples, wisteria, "sazanqua" winter camellias, a pond, rivulets, stone bridges and lanterns and tea pavilions as the royal residence of Prince Asaka, this small palace is a splendid example of Parisian-style Art Deco, which the prince and princesses loved during the time that the prince was recovering from an accident while on duty in France; and just the building itself is worth the short trip by subway or JR train from Meguro Station. Also formerly used as a State Guesthouse it is beautifully tended and was recently refurbished to be wheelchair accessible with ramps and an elevator, the breath-taking interior decor with fine works, such as Lalique's white porcelain fountain-lamp, Japanese turn-of-the century Western-style paintings and bold new Japanese lacquer installation pieces are complemented by exquisite changing exhibitions through the year. A good Western-style restaurant, coffee/tea shop and 2 museum shops...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum is a must visit place if you’re interested in historical buildings and if you’re a big fan of Art Deco.

The Gardens outside are small but pretty and well maintained while the interior is a feast of Art Deco furnishings and lighting.

One major point however…

When waking around the building expect to be constantly monitored by the staff. They are in every room and are very aggressive towards anyone who gets too close to the pieces or doesn’t follow the route exactly. We witnessed many moments when visitors were shouted at by staff. It’s a very unpleasant and uncomfortable experience.

I understand that the building has historical significance, but there’s really no reason to treat your paying visitors like naughty children.

Honestly, it really spoiled the experience for me. Many other visitors have commented about the attitude of the staff but there is never any response or change of attitude from the museum management....

This museum was interesting to me for a few reasons. First, it is an impressive mix of Western and traditional Japanese architecture. It is also a structure that illustrates how quickly Japan embraced many aspects of the West, particularly in how influential Western architects were in this transformation. There is a display that deals with the architect who designed the residence, Henri Rapin. The residence is designed in the Art Deco style.

The museum is adjacent to the Institute for Nature Study a 49.5 acre wilderness park, the purpose of which is to preserve the condition of the ancient Musashi Plain that once lay to the west of Tokyo. This park is beautiful and it was a very pleasant and peaceful...