Tokyo Travel: Ueno

Ueno (上野 upper wild field) is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Nature and Science, as well as a major public concert hall. Many Buddhist temples are in the area, including the Bentendo temple dedicated to goddess Benzaiten, on an island in Shinobazu Pond. The Kan'ei-ji, a major temple of the Tokugawa shōguns, stood in this area, and its pagoda is now within the grounds of the Ueno Zoo. Nearby is the Ueno Tōshō-gū, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Near the Tokyo National Museum there is The International Library of Children's Literature. Just south of the station is the Ameya-yokochō, a street market district that evolved out of an open-air black market that sprung up after World War II. Just east is the Ueno motorcycle district, with English-speaking staff available in some stores.

Ueno is part of the historical Shitamachi (literally "low city") district of Tokyo, a working class area rather than where the aristocrats and rich merchants lived. Today the immediate area, due to its close proximity to a major transportation hub, retains high land value but just a short walk away to the east or north reveals some of the less glitzy architecture of Tokyo.

Ueno Station is the nearest train station and is operated by JR East.

Ueno Park and Ueno Station are also home to a large percentage of Tokyo's homeless population. Though nearly invisible in other parts of Tokyo, the homeless population in Ueno can be found sleeping or communing in large numbers around the "ike" (ponds) of this district

The three special places here make Ueno the perfect location for a day trip. Ueno Park is a seasonal cultural and beauty hub for spring and fall, Ueno Zoo is perfect for couples and families, while Ameyoko is a vibrant shopping area with over 400 delicacies ready to meet the visitor's shopping needs

Starting from the largest of the three places, Ueno Park is Japan's most popular park attracting more than fourteen million visitors each year. The park has 10,000 trees, including 1,200 cherry trees. At the end of March and early April, Ueno Park provides the location of the most anticipated cherry blossoms with more than two million people coming to visit celebrating on a mat with friends. As beautiful as autumn, the whole park will change color to yellow, orange and red, perfect for taking spectacular photographs. In addition to its natural beauty, Ueno Park is home to some of the best museums in Japan including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science, the National Museum of Western Art and several others.

Ueno Zoo, Japan's oldest zoo, is perfect for families to enjoy. There is also a small recreation park around, for children. His zoo is wide enough and monorails are available to take visitors from one end to the other. Visitors can see almost any animal being searched, including the iconic panda. In fact, Ueno Zoo is the most varied collection of zoos in Japan with over 400 species and 3,000 animals. The most famous are the tigers, bears, lions, gorillas, and my favorite, the red panda. The zoo is open from 9:30 am - 5:00 pm (closed on Mondays). Entrance fee 600 yen for adults and free for children aged 12 and under.

Across the street from Ueno Park is Ameyoko, a busy shopping area famous for its food and shopping. Ameyoko is famous for its shops that spread out to the streets, with colorful hawkers selling different kinds of goods. For souvenirs, visitors can find a lot of food products that are distributed. There are also various types of clothing stores, traditional tea shops and modern gift shops along the way. In addition to shopping, Ameyoko is also famous for food with many variations ranging from street snacks to restaurant food. See here for some famous recommendations. Ueno Station can be reached via the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines. Some shinkansen and JR lines also pass through this place, including the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines.

Thank You for reading this blog! Informations from Japanguide.com and Photos from google! regards ben!tBTW this is the final episode of tokyo travel!