Fodor's Expert Review Miho Museum

The phenomenal architecture and impressive collection of Japanese tea-ceremony artifacts and antiquities from the West, China, and the Middle East make a visit to this museum in Shiga Prefecture well worth the hour-long journey from Kyoto. Three-quarters of the museum, which opened in 1997, is underground, with skylights illuminating the displays. The grounds are extensively and beautifully landscaped and well incorporated into architect I. M. Pei's design. The Japanese collection is housed in a wing separate from the antiquities.