Secluded amid hills and valleys near the village of Shigaraki, this knockout museum houses the Koyama family collection of Japanese, Middle Eastern, Chinese and South Asian art, and beautifully displayed special exhibits. The facility is at least as impressive as the collection. The IM Pei–designed main building, reached from the ticket centre via a footpath and long pedestrian tunnel opening onto a gorge, feels like a secret hideout in a futuristic farmhouse.
The construction was quite an engineering feat: the top of the mountain was removed, the glass and marble building constructed, and the ground replaced as before around and above it, down to the massive red pine (a video explains it).
Take the JR Tōkaidō line from Kyoto or Osaka to Ishiyama Station, and change to a Teisan Bus bound for the museum (¥820, approximately 50 minutes). Double-check the website for opening times before setting out.
