It may not have the size or status of other Tokyo galleries, but the Nezu Museum (81-3/ 3400-2536; nezu-muse.or.jp) now has the style thanks to a three-year makeover at the hands of celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. First opened in 1941 on the sprawling Nezu family estate in Tokyo’s Minato district, the museum has become as popular for its serene Zen gardens—covering 17,000 square meters and dotted with teahouses and koi ponds—as it has for its impeccable cache of East Asian artifacts: some 7,000 pieces given a striking new showcase in Kuma’s lofty glass-and-wood space. Stop by to ogle everything from hand-painted Edo-era folding screens by Ogata Korin to centuries-old textiles, sculptures, and calligraphy from across the country. –David Tse

Originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 print issue of DestinAsian magazine ( “Nezu Redux”)