At first glance, the visitor would hardly guess that the austere-looking building nestled in the beautiful, green mountains of Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture, is the Akiba Museum of Antique Jewellery -- Japan's first private museum specializing in European antique jewelry.
But once you step inside, the interior exudes a refined European ambience, and a lavish display of breathtaking antique jewelry awaits. It is like discovering a secret garden full of rare, beautiful flowers.
Terue Akiba, 48, who owns the museum as well as the antique jewelry shop Glaer in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza, was one of the first Japanese to be fascinated by such jewelry and to create a business out of collecting and selling unique pieces.