Japanese Tower, Chinese Pavilion and Museum of Japanese Art

My first point of contact with this odd place was during my first trip to Amsterdam on the bus - I loved admiring the landscape whilst travelling. Who knew? It's another way to discover new things and so on that occasion... I made out some buildings which caught my attention because they were far from normal. I quickly took out my IPhone and went on Google Maps to locate myself and the monuments which were in my surroundings. To my surprise, the map said that I was very close to a "mini Asia" and barely any meters away from the Japanese tower, the Chinese Pavilion and the Far East Museums with their enormous and gorgeous gardens. I noted it down on my list of things to do in Brussels and I continued on my journey.

I investigated a little about the place before going to see it since they were located in the outskirts of Brussels, more specifically in the Laeken District and it's not especially easy to access the enclosure. The best way is by tram, stops "Araucaria" or "De Wand and lines 3 or 7.

It's basically 2 constructions, totally different from one another, which make up an essence of art from the two eastern countries, Japan and China, just like a museum of Japanese art which is located behind the Chinese Pavilion and which was built during the reign of Leopoldo II between the years 1901 and 1910. I was disappointed to find out that the three buildings were found permanently closed when I went, so I could only enjoy their façades which were astonishing since I had never before had the opportunity to see anything so well remade in real life with an Eastern style and at the same time be so far away from Asia. Also, I had read that the majority of the decorations like the sculptures, panels and different objects were manufactured in Japan and then brought over to Belgium and that there was a large collection of Chinese ceramics found in the Chinese pavilion.

From the Japanese tower, the narrow and tall structure that makes up its walls and the way in which the levels are distributed stood out, as well as the colour which covered the building. But on the other hand, without a doubt, the most impressive thing about the view of the Chinese Pavilion is the mix of golden tones and the elaborate details which cover its walls.

It's an ideal place to wander round, since it also has some gardens full of trees which are opened between leafy pathways on which, from time to time, you find little eastern remains/ruins (I don't dare try and differentiate between whether they're Japanese or Chinese seeing as I'm not an expert) as the photo I've taken demonstrates.

Lastly, mentioning the existence of a small park for kids with some strange huts and a swing which are also shown in one of my photos.

A small "East Town" in the outskirts of the urban conglomerate (it's worth mentioning that there is also a very well known Chinatown in the centre of Brussels just like in numerous European and American cities) which is worth the visit. A true luxury for those devoted to Oriental art. A huge shame that they're closed permanently. I don't know the reason why, but I imagine that it's not in high public demand since accessing them is a little complicated especially for those who come to visit the centre of Brussels.