Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art

The ‘City of Kyoto’ is listed as the official architect of this monumental building. If so, the bureaucrats have unusual design skills: the bronze-roofed modern creation attracts the eye, even in the shadow of the Heian Jingu. Although not quite as impressive inside, Japan’s second oldest municipal art museum holds major shows of Japanese and international art. It also loans space to independent art groups for staging exhibitions.