MOA Museum

The MOA Museum of Art sits on a hilltop above Atami, and the approach alone is memorable: a series of escalators carry you up through a tunnel that opens into a vast hall with sweeping ocean views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The collection focuses on East Asian art, including three National Treasures among its holdings of Japanese and Chinese ceramics, lacquerware, sculpture, and paintings. A renovated interior by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto uses natural materials and diffused light to give the galleries a contemplative calm. Outside, traditional Japanese gardens with a tea house add to the sense of refinement, and the vistas over Sagami Bay and the Izu Peninsula are worth the visit on their own.