Things to do in Ueno, Tokyo

Originally, Ueno was a temple town adjacent to the Kan-eiji Temple and Ueno Park is the site to various historical places that almost transplant you to bygone days in Old Tokyo. You can also enjoy numerous art and science museums, the Ueno zoo, and Ameyoko shopping street which is a place definitely worth visiting. It's highly recommended to visit Yanaka and Nezu, which is located nearby and get a sense of Old Tokyo.

Ameyoko Shopping Street（アメ横）

The street adjacent to Ueno station is called Ameyoko and it has an abundant selection of reasonably priced goods and souvenirs. This area is always swarming with people looking for bargains.

 Address:

 Ueno, Taito, Tokyo Prefecture (Next to Ueno station)

 Business hours:

 Depends on the place

Website (Only in Japanese)

Tokyo National Museum（東京国立博物館）

It is the largest museum in Japan with over 110,000 pieces in the collection and many antique works of art and archaeological findings. Some of the areas are open to the public.

Adress:

13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8712 (At Ueno park near Ueno station)

Business hours (hours may change):

Mondays closed

Tue – Thu and Sun 9:30 – 18:00 (last entrance 17:30)

Fri and Sat 9:30 – 21:00 (Last entrance 20:30)

Cost:

Adults: 620yen

University student: 410

Persons under 18 and over 70: Free

Website

 

National Museum of Nature and Science（国立科学博物館）

This hall introduces the diverse nature of Japan under the theme of “the Nature of the Japanese Archipelago and Us”. You can enjoy learning about science and the indigenous nature of Japan.

Address:

7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8718 (Next to Ueno station)

Business hours:

Mondays closed

Tue – Thu and Sun 9:00 – 17:00 (last entrance 16:30)

Fri and Sat 9:00 – 20:00 (Last entrance 19:30)

Cost:

620yen

Website

 

Ueno Park & Shinobazu Pond（上野公園、不忍池）

It was Japan’s first park with a zoo, art museums, ponds and temples. This huge pond is 2 kilometers in circumference and many people enjoy riding a boat on this beautiful lake. In summer you can enjoy the beauty of lotus blossoms and the Bentendo on the Shinobazu Pond belongs to the Kan-eiji temple.

Business hours (For the boats at the pond)

April - July     10: 00 - 18: 00,

July, August    10: 00 - 18: 30 (Summer Vacation Period)

September       10: 00 - 18: 00

October           9: 30 - 17: 30

November       9: 00 - 17: 00

December       9: 00 - 16: 30

January           9: 00 - 17: 00

February         9: 30 - 17: 30

Website (Only in Japanese)

 

Ueno Zoological Gardens（上野動物園）

It’s the Japan’s oldest zoo which opened in 1882 and has about five hundred kinds of animals. The giant panda, polar bear and seals are the most popular attractions.

Address:

Ueno Zoo, 9-83, Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8711

Business hours:

Mondays closed

Tue to Sun 9:30 – 17:00 (Last entrance 16:00)

Cost:

0 – 12: free

13 – 15: 200yen

16 – 64-year old’s: 600yen

Seniors 65 and older: 300yen

Website

 

Kan-eiji Temple（寛永寺）

Built in 1625 by the Tokugawa shogunate as a prayer temple, it later became a family temple of Tokugawa clan and six former shoguns are entombed here. In the Edo period, the temple covered an immense surface area of 1,188,000 square meters.

Address:

1 Chome-14-11 Uenosakuragi, Taito, Tokyo 110-0002

 

Toshogu Shrine Ueno（東照宮）

The Toshogu Shrine is dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was built in 1627, but the existing structure was remodeled in 1651 by the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Address:

9-88Ueno Koen,Taito-ku,Tokyo ( In Ueno park near ueno station)

Business hours:

March to September 9:00 – 17:30

October to February 9:00 – 16:30

Cost:

Over 13-year old’s 500yen

6 – 12 year old’s 200yen

Shrine and garden: 1100yen for adults

Website

 

Yanaka Cemetery（谷中霊園）

Yanaka Cemetery is one of the major sites of cherry blossom viewing parties and was founded in 1874. Many well-known Japanese citizens, such as the last Tokugawa shogun and Yokoyama Taikan, a painter are buried here.

 

Address:

 7 Chome-5-24 Yanaka, Taito, Tokyo 110-0001

Opening hours:

 Every day 8.30–17.15

 

Nezu Shrine（根津神社）

 It was built in honor of the sixth Tokugawa shogun, Ienobu. The ornate and colorfully decorated shrine is noted for its corridors of vermilion entrance gates (tori) and some three thousand azalea bushes which bloom in pinks and reds in late April and early May.

Address:

1 Chome-28-9 Nezu, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0031