The National Gallery of Art has a huge collection spanning centuries. The Neo-Classical West Building houses European paintings and sculptures, while the modern East Building focuses on 20th- and 21st-century art. Outside, the Sculpture Garden features large-scale works and is a nice spot to take a break.

The Mystic Lamb, or ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers, completed in 1432, is recognised worldwide as a great work of art, and one of the most influential paintings ever made. It is an absolute must-see on your weekend break to Ghent. A total of 18 panels form a magical evocation of scenes from the Bible, as well as a portrait of the church warden, Joos Vijd, who commissioned the altarpiece, and his wife Elisabeth Borluut. The monumental Mystic Lamb was painted on oak panels covered in thin layers of a mixture of chalk and animal glue. The figures were applied in several layers of oil paint. The combination of the painstaking work and transparent paint creates an extra dimension. Discover it for yourself as you stand in front of this masterpiece. You will see that an inner glow seems to radiate from the painting: the light of the divine. Hubert van Eyck painted part of the Ghent Altarpiece that includes the Mystic Lamb, but was never able to finish it. His younger brother Jan, an absolute master of the art of painting, is said to have finished this masterpiece a few years after Hubert’s death.

Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan. It was founded in 1882, and today it holds 3,000 animals of more than 400 different species and provides all visitors a learning experience. In the East area, you will find pandas, native animals of Japan, mammals and ocean creatures. In the West area, you will find African animals, reptiles, small mammals, and a children's zoo.