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TOKYO METROPOLITAN TEIEN ART MUSEUM

Looking at Architecture 2026: Animals in the Residence of Prince Asaka

Dates

Saturday, April 11 - Sunday, June 14, 2026

Hours

10AM 〜 6PM

(Last admission at 5:30PM)
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building & Annex
Closed

Mondays (except May 4), May 7


Exhibition admission
Admission to the museum is by timed entry system.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from the website.
Admission Tickets
Adults Group
Adults ¥1,000 ¥800
College students（Vocational students） ¥800 ¥640
High school students and Seniors (65 and over) ¥500 ¥400
Looking at Architecture 2026: Animals in the Residence of Prince Asaka Images

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko and Princess Nobuko encountered Art Deco in Paris when it was at its peak, in the latter half of the 1920s. After returning to Japan, they built a residence incorporating the Art Deco style. In addition to Henri Rapin, who designed the interiors of the main rooms, René Lalique and other artists contributed to its interior decor. The Construction Bureau in the Imperial Household Ministry was responsible for the design of the building itself, and the residence was completed in 1933.

In the interior decoration of the Former Residence of Prince Asaka, we notice that animals appear, again and again. During the years when the Prince Asaka family lived there, animals, including white peacocks, cranes, dogs, chickens, and rabbits, did, too. This exhibition introduces, though a host of works and related materials, the animals that were part of their life in the residence, including some still present there.

This exhibition also presents furniture and other furnishings from the period when the Asaka family resided here, providing an opportunity to experience the fascination of the building itself while enjoying the atmosphere of days long gone. The Winter Garden on the third floor will also be on special display. We welcome visitors to experience the view of the beautiful gardens, with their lush spring foliage, from this perspective. Please enjoy these unique architectural spaces and their interior decoration, plus the adorable animals associated with the Residence of Prince Asaka.

1. A Throng of Animals!

The Asaka family were not the only residents of their home. White peacocks, cranes, dogs, chickens, rabbits . . . all sorts of animals were kept there. Rare materials recording what the residence was like back then even mention white peacocks strolling through the gardens.
Also, the residence’s interior decoration used deer, fish, and other animal motifs. This exhibition focuses on the residence as a chateau for animals, too.
The museum’s Annex further contributes by introducing twentieth-century Western art with animal motifs. Cute, brave, large, small—a variety of animals gather there.

2. Special Access to the Winter Garden Room

The Winter Garden is located on the third floor, the highest floor of the Former Residence of Prince Asaka. This room, with its striking white and black checkerboard-pattern floor, is a special space that, after it was displayed following its restoration in 2003, has been open to the public only on limited occasions. The Winter Garden is open during this exhibition. Please step inside it and examine its details.

3. The Fresh Verdure of the Gardens and the Former Residence of Prince Asaka

This exhibition is being held in spring, with beautiful foliage outside in the museum’s gardens. Usually the curtains in the residence are tend to be closed, to conserve the works there, but for this exhibition, they will be kept open as wide as possible, to let visitors enjoy the beautiful green of the gardens from within the Former Residence of Prince Asaka. The unique architectural spaces, with their fusion of France’s Art Decor and Japanese design, and our rich natural environment in the heart of the city: this exhibition provides a unique opportunity to savor the unique qualities of our museum to the full.

  • Design: Theodor Madsen, Manufacture: Royal Copenhagen, Penguins, ca. 1902 Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

    Image of work, Penguins, designed by Theodor Madsen and manufactured by Royal Copenhagen

  • François Pompon, Polar Bear, 1921－1924, Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi

    Image of work: François Pompon, Polar Bear, Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi

  • René Lalique, Vase, Parakeet, 1919, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

    Image of work: René Lalique, Vase, Parakeet

  • Édouard Bénédictus, Relais: Fifteen Plates Providing Forty-Two Decorative Motifs, 1930, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

    Image of works: Édouard Bénédictus: Fifteen Plates Providing Forty-Two Decorative Motifs

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building, Great Dining Hall

    Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main building, Great Dining Hall

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building, Veranda

    Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building, Veranda

Exhibition Title
Looking at Architecture 2026: Animals in the Residence of Prince Asaka
Dates
Saturday, April 11 - Sunday, June 14, 2026
Venue

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum（Main Building & Annex）
5-21-9, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
050-5541-8600 Hello Dial operator service

Closed

Mondays (except May 4), May 7

Hours
10:00 - 18:00 (Last admission at 5:30PM)
Exhibition admission
Admission to the museum is by timed entry system.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from the website.
Adults ¥1,000 （¥800）
College students ¥800 （¥640）
High school students and Seniors (65 and over) ¥500 （¥400）

  1. Figures in parentheses are group admission fees (for groups of 20 or more)

  2. Admission is free for middle school students and younger.

  3. Admission is free for visitors (and two accompanying persons) with a Physical Disability Certificate, Intellectual Disability Certificate, Rehabilitation Certificate, Mental Disability Certificate, or Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate (inc. MIRAIRO ID).

  4. Admission is free for teacher-led educational visits by students from elementary, middle, and high schools in Tokyo.

  5. Admission is free for seniors (65 and over) on the third Wednesday of each month.

  6. Advance reservations and purchase of tickets online are required on May 13 and 27, 2026 for the “G(ALL)ERY Day”

Organized by
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
With the annual co-sponsorship of
Toda Corporation, Bloomberg

Photography is allowed in both the main building and annex during this exhibition. Please follow the rules below and listen to the instructions of staff when taking photos.

  1. Please refrain from any activity that may disturb others.
  2. Please do not use flash, reflectors, tripods, selfie sticks, or telephoto lenses.
  3. Staff may ask you to refrain from taking photographs due to safety concerns.
  4. Please refrain from taking video.
  5. To avoid the risk of dropping equipment or damaging objects, please do not take photographs from above objects, or lean your body when taking photographs.
  6. Photography is permitted for personal, non-commercial use only. Commercial photography requires advance application.
  7. Please be aware that posting photos on social networking sites may violate the portrait rights of other visitors.
  8. Please refrain from taking photographs for portrait purposes.
  9. Actions that could damage artworks or the building are prohibited.

The Peacock Dance

The Peacock Dance is performed at the annual Spring Grand Festival at Hisaizu Shrine in Iwatsuki Ward, Saitama city (Saitama prefecture). Three peacocks kept by the Prince Asaka family were donated to that shrine in 1938. This dance was choreographed to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the peacock donation, in 2018, and will be specially performed at our museum.

Performer: Kaichi Junior and Senior High School (Iwatsuki IB project team)
Date and time: 11AM and 2PM, Sunday, April 26, 2026 (about 10 minutes duration each time)
Place: Lawn Space, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum *Cancelled in case of rain
Fee: None (a ticket for the exhibition or a garden ticket valid on that date is required)

*This event is being held as part of an initiative to enhance our outreach capabilities, with the aim of promoting the appeal of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.

Image of the Peacock Dance

G(ALL)ERY Day: Leisurely Art Appreciation Day

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 10AM-6PM（Last admission 5:30PM）

More Details

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G(ALL)ERY Day: Baby Hours

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 10AM－3PM（Stroller accessible hours）

More Details

G(ALL)ERY Day: Baby Hours