National Museum of Western Art (Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan)

This museum has its roots in French impressionism, but runs the gamut from medieval Madonna and Child images to 20th-century abstract expressionist painting. All the big names are here, particularly Manet, Rodin, Miró and the Dutch Masters. It also hosts wildly popular temporary exhibits on loan from such stalwarts as the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The main building was designed by Le Corbusier in the late 1950s and is now on UNESCO’s World Heritage list; a couple of additions have been made since. Much of the original collection was amassed by Matsukata Kōjiro (1865–1950), president of a shipbuilding company and later a politician. He would travel frequently to Europe on business and bring back treasures to inspire up-and-coming Japanese painters. Some 400 of his works were impounded in France during WWII, and it was only after Matsukata’s death that they were allowed to be shipped to Japan.