| Ueno (Tokyo) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Kantō |
| Website | Official site |
Ueno is a district of the city of Tokyo which is part of the district of Taitō.
To know
Ueno (上 野), is the district of museums and cherry gardens. It has also retained something of old Tokyo, which has long since disappeared elsewhere. It is not a rich neighborhood but this means that the prices of the hotels and its restaurants are more affordable than elsewhere. Security is not an issue, but the area southwest of Ueno Station has a high density of sex clubs and similar businesses with active bouncers and prostitutes offering their services. Ueno is excellently connected not only with Tokyo, but also with all of northern Japan.
How to orient yourself
Ueno (Tokyo): full screen map.How to get
On the train
Ueno station
- 1 Ueno Station (上 野 駅 Ueno-Eki). It was once the place from which steam locomotives left to the north-east, today the Shinkansen high-speed train makes only a short stop. Trains:
which unites the northern prefectures and ends here, 
Tōhoku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen, Akagi Line, Hitachi-Tokiwa, 
. If you come from Sapporo with one of the night trains, then Ueno will be the terminus. Meter:
. 
which unites the northern prefectures and ends here, 
Tōhoku Shinkansen, 
. If you come from 
.
| Connections |
| Sendai ← Utsunomiya ← Ōmiya ← | No.  S. | → Tokyo |
| Myth ← Tsuchiura ← Kashiwa ← | No.  S. | → end |
| Ikebukuro ← Sugamo ← Tabata ← | No.  S. | → Akihabara → Tokyo → Shinbashi |
| Urawa ← Kawaguchi ← Akabane ← | No.  S. | → Shinagawa → Oimachi → Kamata → Tsurumi |
| end ← | OR  IS | → Aoto → Keisei Funabashi → Narita |
| Akasaka Mitsuke ← Ginza ← Nihonbashi ← | S.  IS | → Asakusa |
Kasukabe ← verse _symbol.svg/30px-Tobu_Skytree_Line_(TS)_symbol.svg.png){kind=small} ← Kitasenjyu ← | No.  S. | → Akihabara → Tsukiji → Roppongi |
| Shinjuku ← Kasuga ← | OR  IS | → Ryogoku → Kiyosumi Shirakawa |
| end ← | No.  S. | → Honcho → verse  → Ginza |
How to get around
- 2 Okachimachi Station (御 徒 町 駅 Okachimachi-eki). Lines
- 3 Naka-Okachimachi Station. Line
- 4 Ueno-Okachimachi Station. Line
- 5 Ueno-hirokōji station. Line
What see
Tokyo National Museum
1 Tokyo National Museum (東京 国立 博物館 Tōkyō kokuritsu hakubutsukan), 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku (Inside the Ueno park, Ueno station .svg/25px-JR_logo_(east).svg.png)
Ueno-kōen exit), ☎ 81 3-3822-1111. 
600 yen (adults), separate ticket for special performances. 
Tue-Sun 9: 30-17: 00. A gigantic complex housing more than 100,000 art objects covering Japanese history from the Jomon period to the 20th century. Some descriptions are in English. The entrance ticket covers access to the following buildings:
.svg/25px-JR_logo_(east).svg.png){kind=logo}
Ueno-kōen exit), ☎
600 yen (adults), separate ticket for special performances. 
Tue-Sun 9: 30-17: 00. A gigantic complex housing more than 100,000 art objects covering Japanese history from the Jomon period to the 20th century. Some descriptions are in English. The entrance ticket covers access to the following buildings:
The famous work of Hokusai, "The great wave"
- Honkan: the main museum noteworthy for the vastness of its exhibition. Display works of artistic and historical value, including Buddhist statues, calligraphy, tea ceremony, swords and armor, ornamental screens, noh and kabuki theater-related items, and ukiyo-e e wood block prints.
- Heisekan: an archaeological museum that shows objects taken from the excavations such as pottery and sepulchral statues from the early periods. Heiseikan also hosts special performances.
- Toyokan: displays works of art from East Asia, India ed Egypt.
- The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures houses art objects donated in 1878 by the Horyuji temple (near Nara). The modern building designed in 1999 by Yoshio Taniguchi is worth a visit for its own architectural merits.
National Museum of Western Art
2 National Museum of Western Art (国立 西洋 美術館, Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan?). 420 yen; free admission on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. Tuesday-Sunday 9: 30-17: 00. It houses an extensive collection of Western art, including the original of the famous Thinker by Rodin. The building built by Le Corbusier is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement".
The science museum
- 3 National Science Museum (国立 科学 博物館 Kokuritsu kagaku hakubutsukan), 7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, ☎ 81 03 5777-8600. 600 yen. Tuesday-Sunday 9: 00-17: 00. Recently reopened in a new building, it focuses on the world of the living with full-scale representations of virtually every life form that has appeared on Earth, from the blue whale to hundreds of exotic insects, as well as dinosaur skeletons and other prehistoric animals. A section also covers technology, physical sciences and exhibits intended for children and teenagers to demonstrate physical sciences. Most of the signs are in Japanese, but it is possible to rent an audio guide in English describing the various performances.
Shitamachi Museum
- 4 [link previously not working]Shitamachi Museum (下町 風俗 資料 館), near the southeast corner of Shinobazu Pond. A small museum opened in 1980 that offers an overview of city life in the area at the beginning of the 20th century, with the reconstruction of houses and shops and an exhibition of everyday objects, craftsmen's tools, toys, old photos.
Statue of Saigō Takamori
- 5 Statue of Saigō Takamori (西 郷 隆盛 像). Near the main park entrance from the JR station is a statue of a man walking his dog, Saigō Takamori, a famous general known for leading the failed Satsuma rebellion against the Meiji government. Although he had rebelled against the imperial government, this statue was dedicated to him for his popularity, albeit in civilian clothes. It is the typical spot to meet someone in the park.
Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens and Building
- 6 Kyomizu Kannon-dō, 1-29 Uenokoen, 台 東区 (at the top of the hill on the south side of Ueno park), ☎ 81 3-3821-4749. One of the few remaining buildings of the Kan'ei-ji 'Buddhist temple complex that was destroyed at the end of the Meiji Restoration War in the 19th century. The temple is dedicated to Senju Kannon, but Kosodate is also worshiped there Kannon on whose altar women leave dolls as an offering to propitiate conception. On 25 September each year, the dolls are burned in a religious ceremony.
- 7 Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens and Building (旧 岩崎 邸 庭園 Kyū-Iwasaki-tei teien), 1-3-45 Ike-no-hata, Taito-ku (On a side street between Ueno Park and Tokyo University Hospital. Look for small blue directional signs). A park that contains a Jacobean-style building with elements of the Islamic Renaissance designed by the English architect Josiah Conder for Hisaya Hiwasaki, son of the founder of the Mitsubishi group at the end of the 19th century. In addition to the main building there is also a Swiss-style billiard room and a Japanese-style house. Currently the garden is basically an English lawn, but some elements of the Edo period remain.
What to do
"Without love, what is the meaning of cherry blossoms?" Proclaims a famous poem haiku. The profound truths contained within are experimentally tested every spring, when more or less the whole park of Ueno disappears under a sea of blue sheets, used for picnics.
The Ueno park
- 1 Ueno Park, 5-２０ Uenokōen (Ueno Station). 00:00-24:00. Adjacent to the station, it is home to most of the area's attractions, including the Ueno Zoo and a concentration of Japan's best museums. In the cherry blossom season, the park is Tokyo's most famous venue for outdoor hanami parties.
The giant panda in the zoo
- 2 Ueno Zoo (上 野 動物園). 600 yen. Tue-Sun 9: 30-16: 30. Japan's oldest zoo, with over 2,600 animals from 464 different species. An old-fashioned zoo with animals in concrete cages or habitats, although in recent times it has begun to introduce more natural habitats, such as those dedicated to gorillas or tigers.
The Shinobazu Pond
- 3 Pond of Shinobazu (不忍 池 Shinobazu-ike), Adjacent to Ueno park. Rich in lotus plants, it is home to a permanent colony of black cormorants, as well as various colonies of migratory water birds. At its center lies the small and picturesque center Bentendō sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten, octagonal in shape.
Walking route
Map of the walking route
| START Tokyo National Museum |
| END Sendagi Station |
| LENGTH About 3km; 2 hours |
- Tokyo National Museum - Begin your visit to the museum before starting to explore Yanaka, with its temples, galleries and old wooden buildings. If not, just follow the northwest route to point 2.
- Ueno-kōen - until you reach Katotoi-dōri.
- Shitamachi Museum Annexe - actually a well preserved liquor store.
- Kayaba coffee - in case of a stop.
- SCAI the Bathhouse - a classic old public spa converted into a contemporary art gallery. It's a detour to the next point
- Edokoro - at the studio of the painter Allan West
- Himalayan cedar - an ancient and massive tree
- Enju-ji - a temple where it is set Nichika-sama, the "god of strong legs"; this temple is popular with runners. The area is full of temples, feel free to stop at each one but be respectful and keep your voice low.
- Yanaka-reien - go back to access one of the most evocative and prestigious cemeteries in Tokyo. When exiting the cemetery, continue along the train tracks on the right, climbing until you reach the bridge, which overlooks the tracks.
- Asakusa Sculpture Museum - Go left and look for the sign pointing towards the museum for an early 20th century sculptor's studio and now an attractive museum. Back on the main street, we continue along
- Yūyake Dandan (literally sunset of the stars) - to the classic shopping street of the mid-20th century
- Yanaka Ginza —
If you walk west you can finally take the subway to Sendagi station.
Shopping
- 1 Ameyoko (ア メ 横), 6 Chome-4-9-14 Ueno, ☎ 81 3-3832-5053. Mon-Sun 10 am-8pm. A compact bazaar filled with small shops selling just about anything imaginable, which starts just south of Ueno station within the JR Yamanote track layout and ends at Okachimachi station. If you are looking for a typically "Asian" market with friendly vendors trying to outdo each other in calling customers to their store, then this is where you need to go. Absolutely a good place to buy souvenirs to take home. It is often mistakenly believed to have taken its name from the market for blue jeans and other American items sold on the black market after World War II, but in reality the name "ame" derives from that of sweets (to me in Japanese) that were sold there.
How to have fun
Ueno is running out of night clubs, but there are several traditional bars.
- 1 The Warrior Celt, 3rd floor, Ito Bld, 6-9-22 Ueno (550m south of Ueno station, pass the Marui shopping center), ☎ 81 3-3836-8588. ¥ 600-1000. 17:00-05:00. Known locally as the hangout for some good beers in a typical Irish pub atmosphere. Japanese expats, crowds and drinkers.
Where to eat
There is plenty of inexpensive food to be found throughout Ueno Station, including a large number of food stalls near the Shinobazu Lake Shrine.
In the cherry blossom season, the favorite local food is the grilled rice balls known as dango (団 子), spread with a sweet and salty soy sauce or a large red bean paste. As the Japanese saying goes, Hana yori dango, or "dumplings are better than flowers".
Moderate prices
- 1 Okinaan (翁 庵), 3 Chome-39-8 Higashiueno, 台 東区 (Two minutes from Ueno station), ☎ 81 3-3831-2660. ¥750. 11:00-20:00. One of the most authentic soba places in Tokyo. The owner keeps the place clean but hasn't renovated anything since the era Showa. Note the 1960s cash register and museum tea hearth. Try the negiseiro, which is a buckwheat pasta with tempura soup. Put the onions and some wasabi in the soup, then put some soba in your soup and drink it. When you finish, pour the sobayu in the soup and drink.
- 2 Yayoiken (や よ い 軒), Higashi-Ueno 3-37-9 (on Asakusa-dori, 2 minutes from JR Ueno), ☎ 81 3-5846-6175. Mornings ¥ 350, full meals from ¥ 580. 07:00-23:00. Cheap and cheerful grills served on a hot iron plate "teppan", with rice. Plastic food templates plus an image coupon machine make ordering easier.
- 3 Juraku (じ ゅ ら く), 6-11-11, Ueno (Opposite Ueno Station at Shinobazu Exit across the street), ☎ 81 3-3831-8452. ¥1.000. 11:00-22:00. Conveniently located, a popular budget restaurant for families. It serves omelettes, hamburg steaks among other western dishes and some Japanese. Credit cards are not accepted.
- 4 Yabu Soba (上 野 藪 そ ば), 6 Chome-9-16 Ueno, 台 東区, ☎ 81 3-3831-4728. Seiro for 740 yen. Thu-Mar 11: 30-21: 00. Another traditional soba place.
- 5 Yoshinoya (吉野 家 上 野 駅 前 店), Ueno, 7 Chome − 3−２ ＧＥ 上 野 駅 前 ビ ル, ☎ 81 3-5826-7097. ¥380. 00:00-24:00. Popular chain for rice and beef bowls.
- 6 Tōrindō (桃林 堂), Ueno-sakuragi 1-5-7, ☎ 81 3-3828-9826. 09:00-17:00. A little off the beaten track, but within walking distance of the Tokyo National Museum, this traditional shop serves tea for the tea ceremony (¥ 450) without the fuss of the ritual and delicious Japanese desserts (over ¥ 150) to go with them.
Average prices
- 7 Izuei (伊豆 栄), 2-12-22, Ueno (2 minutes from Ueno station at Ueno park), ☎ 81 3-3831-0954. Lunch over ¥ 2100, dinner over ¥ 7,300. 11:00-21:30. Opened around 1750, an authentic place.
- 8 Tonkotsu Ramen Hakata Furyu Ueno (と ん こ つ ラ ー メ ン 博 多風 龍 上 野店), 6 Chome-14-９ Ueno, ☎ 81 3-5826-4454. ¥1000. Mon-Sun 11: 00-02: 00. Popular ramen chain
High prices
- 9 Ueno Seiyōken (上 野 精 養 軒), in Ueno park (1 minute from Ueno station). Lunch from ¥ 2400, dinner over ¥ 10000. Opened in 1877, this was one of the first Western restaurants in Japan, serving French cuisine that suits its stature.
Where stay
Only hotels within walking distance of Ueno Station are listed here. You see Taito for a list of hotels elsewhere in the district.
Moderate prices
- 1 Kinuya Hotel (き ぬ や ホ テ ル), 2-14-28 Ueno (3 minutes walk from JR Ueno Shinobazu Exit), ☎ 81 3-3833-1911. Single ¥ 7400. A great hotel for backpackers, the staff can speak English. Two PCs with internet access are available in the lobby.
Average prices
- 2 Sutton Place Hotel Ueno (サ ッ ト ン プ レ イ ス ホ テ ル), 7-8-23, Ueno (from JR Ueno Station, Iriya Exit, cross the road to Iwakura School; continue to the end of that block; turn left at the next traffic light; the hotel is on the left. 2 minutes walk in total), ☎ 81 3 3842-2411, fax: 81 3 3842-2414. ¥7000. Check in: 15:00. Mid-range hotel. The rooms are equipped with internal toilets. The staff speaks English. Breakfast included. Free internet access in the lobby. The hotel is located in a quiet street in Ueno, 2 minutes walk from JR Ueno station and 5 minutes walk from Ueno subway station. From Keisei Ueno, the Skyliner arrival station from Narita Airport, the walk is approximately 10 minutes.
- 3 Ueno Hotel (上 野 ホ テ ル), 7 Chome-12-9 Ueno, (8 minutes walk from Ueno station), ☎ 81 3-6231-7610.
High prices
- 4 Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno (三井 ガ ー デ ン ホ テ ル 上 野), 3-19-7 HigashiUeno (2 minutes walk from Asakusa Exit of JR Ueno Station), ☎ 81 3-3839-1131. ¥ 16800 double room per night.
- 5 Coco Grand Ueno Shinobazu hotel (ホ テ ル コ コ ・ グ ラ ン 上 野 不忍), 2-12-14 Ueno, ☎ 81 3-5812-1155.
Safety
Ueno is home to one of Tokyo's main red light areas and therefore has a slightly different vibe than most of the city; however, compared to similar areas in most countries, it is very safe and unlikely to encounter any problems. Beware of patrons trying to drag you to a bar, as the final bill is likely to be overstated.
Ueno is also known to be frequented by fake Buddhist monks: they will give a trinket and a piece of paper saying that it is the treasure of their temple and they would like a donation to rebuild the temple, actually this is an excuse, as they are a gang of beggars organized without religious affiliation that specifically targets foreigners.
How to keep in touch
Internet
- Taito Free Wi-Fi, ☎ 81 570-015-152. WIFI service of the Taito district.
Useful information
- 6 Tokyo Tourist Information Center Keisei Ueno (東京 観 光 情報 セ ン タ ー 京 成 上 野 駅 支 所), 1-60 Uenokoen, Taitō (in Keisei train station outside the gates), ☎ 81 3-3836-3471, fax: 81 3-3836-3472. Mon-Sun 09: 30-18: 30. A good source of tourist information, this office is aimed at foreign visitors, so all materials are in languages other than Japanese and all staff speak English.
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