Akita Museum of Art

Designed by Tadao Ando, the Akita Museum of Art is worth visiting for the architecture alone: dramatic concrete volumes, reflecting pools, and carefully framed natural light. The permanent collection centers on the work of Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, a Japanese-French painter known for his luminous depictions of cats and women, including a massive 20-meter-wide mural painted for Akita. Rotating exhibitions bring in contemporary and regional art alongside the Foujita holdings. The building sits within Senshu Park, so it pairs naturally with a stroll through the castle ruins next door.