Ueno Park

Ueno Park is Japan’s first and central Tokyo’s largest park. It brings together natural and cultural landscapes right in the heart of the city, and thus is a highly recommended destination when visiting Tokyo. To be specific, the park boasts many top-level museums like Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and National Museum of Nature and Science; it is the home to some historical sites and shrines like Ueno Toshogu Shrine, Kiyomizu Kannon Temple, and Hanazono Inari Shrine; and, it has some locations where you can immerse yourself in nature, like Ueno Zoo and Shinobazu Pond.

It is also worth noting that Ueno Park is one of Tokyo’s most famous spots for cherry blossom viewing. Every spring, vast expanses of cherry blossoms bloom throughout the park, and a grand cherry blossom festival is held.

Ueno Park Photos ( 10

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Best Route for Ueno Park Visiting

It’s actually a little hard for visitors to cover all attractions of Ueno Park in one day, and you are recommended to visit some of its representative ones. For example, you can refer to the following route, which include both cultural and natural sites:

First Stop: Tokyo National Museum

As Japan’s oldest museum, it houses a collection of over 120,000 precious works of art, including ancient Japanese pottery, paintings, and Buddhist statues. So, it is a highly recommended destination for learning about Japanese culture and history. You can purchase the ticket on site for JPR1000 (USD6.4).

Tokyo National Museum

Kimonos in Tokyo National Museum

Tips:
1. For a throughout visit, about 2-3 hours are needed. Therefore, if you are short in time, you are recommended to prioritize the halls or exhibits that interest you most.
2. For those traveling with children, you can consider replacing this stop with the National Museum of Nature and Science. Compared with Tokyo National Museum, it is more fun and interactive. Or, Ueno Zoo is also a good choice, though there are currently no giant pandas to visit.

Second Stop: National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art is a top-tier art museum that comes highly recommended to visit in Ueno Park, with a collection centered on Western art. It offers excellent value for the price – for an admission of JPY500 (USD3.2), you can admire remarkable works of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Gauguin.

Tips:
1. You may take about 1-2 hours to visit the overall museum.
2. There are cafes and restaurants near the museum, and you can have a rest before the following visits.

Third Stop: Ueno Toshogu Shrine

Ueno Toshigu Shrine, a gorgeous shrine with long history, includes both free visiting area and ticketed admission area. For most visitors, traveling around the free area alone can gain a wonderful experience. Specifically, the highlights that you can admire in the free area include: 200 stone lanterns and 50 copper lanterns lining both sides of the approach; the torii gate – a shrine’s iconic building; the Karamon Gate featuring numerous exquisite carvings; and the magnificent Main Hall lavishly decorated with copious amounts of gold leaf. Besides, at the shrine, you can also see the quaint and elegant Five-Storied Pagoda standing nearby.

Ueno Toshogu Shrine

Passage to Holy Toshogu Shrine

Fourth Stop: Shinobazu Pond

Shinobazu Pond, a natural pond within the park, is a place in Ueno Park that can make you feel the vibrant atmosphere and relax. It is beautiful throughout the year: in spring, pink sea of cherry blossoms decorates the pond; in summer, the pond is covered by numerous lotus; in autumn, there are full of yellow and red leaves; and in winter, many migratory birds, such as coots, red-billed gulls, and egrets can be spotted. Whenever you visit the pond, just sitting quietly will make you feel cozy. Besides, the Benten-do Temple, a vermilion-colored octagonal shrine located at the center of the pond, is distinctive and worth a visit.

Tip: You are recommended to adjust the travel route and arrange the pond for morning if you plan to visit Shinobazu Pond in summer and want to view lotus flowers, since these flowers will close since the noon hours per day.

Shinobazu Pond in Autumn

Fifth Stop: Ameyoko Market

After finishing your visit in Shinobazu Pond, you can consider traveling around the bustling Ameyoko Market near Ueno Park, where you can feel the lively atmosphere of Tokyo’s local life and taste some delicious local food.

Seasonal Highlights of Ueno Park

1. Beautiful Cherry Blossoms & Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival

From late March to early April each year, approximately 1,000 cherry trees of about 50 varieties bloom throughout Ueno Park, creating a spectacular and beautiful sight. If you happen to visit Ueno Park during this period, Ueno Toshogu Shrine and Shinobazu Pond mentioned above are good places to view these lovely flowers. Cherry Blossom Avenue, where about half of the park’s cherry trees are concentrated, is also highly recommended to visit.

Besides, the Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival will take place during this time, featuring many food stalls and traditional performances.

2. Lively Ueno Summer Festival

This is the highlight of summer, held every year from early July to early August around Shinobazu Pond surrounded by greenery. What you can see includes a corridor with about 4,000 wind chimes; rich food stalls; and a variety of exciting performances.

How to Get to Ueno Park

Ueno Park is very accessible. Specifically, the most recommended ways to get to Ueno Park for a visit are:

(1) Take the JR Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Joban Line, Utsunomiya Line, or Takasaki Line to Ueno Station.
(2) Take the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line or Hibiya Line to Ueno Station.

From Airports to Ueno Park

From Narita Airport, you can take the Keisei Skyliner to Keisei Ueno Station, which takes about 50 minutes. Trains run approximately every 20 minutes from around 7:30 to 23:00.

From Haneda Airport, you can take the Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho Station or the Keikyu Line to Shinagawa Station, then transfer to the JR Yamanote Line to Ueno Station. The entire journey takes about 35–50 minutes. The Tokyo Monorail operates from approximately 5:00 to 24:00, with trains running every 4–5 minutes; the Keikyu Line operates from approximately 5:30 to 24:00, with trains running about every 10 minutes.

Tips to Visit Ueno Park

1. Ueno Park is open from 5:00 to 23:00. Most areas, exclude museums and some shrines, are free to enter.
2. Since museums and zoos are typically closed on Monday, you are recommended to arrange your visit to Ueno Park for Tuesday through Sunday if possible.
3. Want to know what attractions are near Ueno Park so you can plan your itinerary? Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Kannon temple, is about a 5-minute ride on the Ginza Line; Akihabara, where high-tech culture and anime culture intertwine, is about a 4-minute ride on the Yamanote Line; and Tokyo Skytree, which offers a magnificent bird’s-eye view of Tokyo, is about a 15-minute subway ride away.