Tokyo · Ueno and Yanaka
Ueno Park
Ueno Park was established in 1873 as one of the first public parks in Japan, on the grounds of Kan'ei-ji Temple, most of whose buildings burned down in the Battle of Ueno in 1868, between the Meiji forces and the shogunate loyalists. The park is free and always open, and it holds five museums, a zoo, and Shinobazu Pond with its three parts: the lotus pond, the boat pond, and the bird sanctuary.
At the southern entrance stands a statue of Saigo Takamori, leader of the Satsuma Rebellion, in everyday clothes and with a dog at his side. At the unveiling ceremony in 1898 his wife said that her husband did not look like that. The story usually told is that the face did not resemble him, but according to the accepted interpretation she meant the clothing: he would never have gone out in public in a yukata.
At the edge of the park stands Ueno Daibutsu, a Buddha statue that lost its body in the 1923 earthquake and the rest of its parts in the metal collection drive of World War II. Only the face remains, and since then it has been known as 'the Buddha that cannot fall any more', a place where students pray before exams.
Good to know
- Ueno Daibutsu, the Buddha face without a body, is considered a lucky statue for exams, precisely because it can no longer fall. Entry is free.
- The five museums and the zoo are mostly closed on Mondays. If you plan a museum day in Ueno, do not set it for a Monday.
- Shinobazu Pond blooms with lotuses from mid-July to August. Bentendo Hall, on an island in the middle of the pond, is free and open 09:00-17:00.
- At the end of March the park is one of the most crowded sakura spots in Tokyo. If you want quiet, come before 08:00 or after dark, when the trees are lit by lanterns.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Ueno Park.
- HereUeno Park
- ~3 min
Starbucks Coffee Ueno Onshi Koen Cafe
A branch in a low wooden building inside the park, between the museums. A place to sit on a rainy day without leaving the park.
- ~5 min
Ueno Toshogu Shrine More to see
A Shinto shrine from 1651, dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, with a gold-covered hall. ¥700 for the inner courtyard. Small and much quieter than the Toshogu in Nikko.
- ~6 min
Ueno Seiyoken Landaulet Food
A Western restaurant that has operated in the park since 1876, one of the first in Japan. Lunch from ¥3,000.
- ~8 min
Anmitsu Mihashi Ueno Honten Cafe
A long-established Japanese sweets shop near Ameyoko. Cream anmitsu, agar cubes with fruit and cream, ¥840.
- ~8 min
Yamashiroya Toy Store Shopping
A toy and model shop on eight floors, next to the Hirokoji Exit of Ueno Station. Anime figures, Lego, and children's games.
- ~10 min
Ameyoko Shopping Street Street
A market that rose after the war under the railway tracks in Ueno: street snacks, dried seafood and cheap clothes.
- ~10 min
Nikino Kashi Ameyoko Shopping
The big sweets shop of Ameyoko, about 4,500 kinds of Japanese and imported snacks and cookies at wholesale prices.
More in Ueno and Yanaka
Appears in: Asakusa, Ueno and Skytree: old Tokyo in one day