I always feel a little inadequate arriving at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, shambling up its gravel drive in my slovenly journalist garb and running one hand over my face to check if I've shaved that day. It's such an elegant venue that I feel I really should be arriving in more style, possibly driven in a classic Rolls Royce or done up in a rented tuxedo.
Yes, the Teien is haunted by ghosts of its past — it was originally built as an Art Deco palace for members of the Imperial family in the 1930s, before becoming an art museum in 1981. Over the years, this royal legacy, rather than weakening, has strengthened and is more in evidence than ever with the reopening of the building after a three-year hiatus.
This was necessary to carry out much needed repairs and to restore the building to its original condition, while also adding a new annex building that greatly increases the museum's capacity to host exhibitions.