| Just a short distance from Kaneiji is the Tokyo
National Museum, home to approximately 100,000 works of art and artifacts, including
91 national treasures and 616 nationally important cultural properties. This is
a place worth taking time to look around. Admission is ¥420, and the museum
is closed Mondays.
The building is a typical example of the Imperial Crown style of architecture.
As it was rebuilt in 1937, the building is not particularly old, but the surrounding
area contains a number of much older edifices, including the ornate front gate
of a house belonging to the Ikeda daimyo family, which ruled the Tottori domain
(now Tottori Prefecture).
Also in this area can be found the concert hall of the Tokyo Music School (currently
the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), built in 1890, and the
Imperial Library, which was built in 1906 and recently reborn as the International
Library of Children's Literature. Taking in the historical architecture in this
neighborhood is a good way to see what Tokyo looked like 100 years ago. |
