You can admire the beauty of cherry blossoms or the colourful autumn leaves in one of Tokyo's largest parks.

Ueno Park is one of the most popular destinations for Japanese and tourists alike, because in addition to the park itself, there are a large number of museums and a zoo.

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The park covers an area of 133 acres and is ideal for a pleasant walk in nice weather.

Is a visit to Ueno Park worth it?

The location is relatively far from the city centre, but still easily accessible by subway or trains.

Ueno Park is ideally combined with a visit to other sites in this part of Tokyo - the Akihabara district (5 minutes by train), Senso-Ji Temple (10 minutes by subway) or the Tokyo Skytree (15 minutes by subway).

Would I recommend a visit to the park?

✅ Yes, if:

• It is a must-see in spring for the sakura blossoms.
• you want to visit museums or zoos
• you want to enjoy the tranquillity of a large park

❌ No, if:

• you only have a limited time in Tokyo (1-2 days), there are nicer places in the city
• you don't want to visit museums, there are nicer gardens in the city
• you will be spending time in a different part of Tokyo

My favorite part of Ueno Park is on the west side, where you will find Shinobazu pond, along which there are a lot of souvenir stalls and mainly local delicacies.

Tokyo's largest museum district

The northern part of Ueno Park functions as a huge museum district, where you'll find the largest concentration of museums in all of Tokyo.

Especially during nasty weather, museum enthusiasts will be kept quiet for the whole day here.

The 10 best hotels around Ueno

Tokyo National Museum

Japan's oldest and largest art museum can be found on the northern edge of the park.

The museum's collections focus exclusively on Japanese art and you can admire paintings, traditional Japanese katanas, tapestries, sculptures and much more.

• Admission: 1 000 jpy
• official website: tnm.jp

Natural History Museum

A popular museum not only among adults but also for children, the National Museum of Nature and Science has a lot of interactive exhibitions.

One of the main hallmarks of the museum is the huge sculpture of a giant whale in front of the museum building and the large number of dinosaur skeletons inside the museum!

• Admission: 630 jpy
• Official website: kahaku.go.jp

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

The largest modern art museum in Japan is known for its wide range of local and international art. Very often temporary exhibitions of the most recent projects are held.

• Admission: free (temporary exhibitions charge around 700 jpy)
• Official website: tobikan.jp

National Museum of Western Art

This museum is especially popular among Japanese and hosts quite large collections of Western, mainly European art.

You'll find mainly paintings, but also sculptures, and mostly from the 18th to 20th century.

• Admission: 500 jpy
• Official website: nmwa.go.jp

Ueno Zoo

The western part of the park is occupied by Tokyo's main zoo.

It's relatively small compared to other city zoos, and you can walk through the entire area in about an hour.

If you want to visit the giant panda enclosure as well, expect to spend about 1 more hour in line! The giant pandas are by far the biggest attraction at the local zoo and the Japanese love them.

I was very disappointed with Ueno Zoo, especially with the condition of the enclosures and the animals in them.

The enclosures are small and old and the animals looked emaciated and very bored. Personally, I would not recommend a visit to Ueno Zoo.

• Admission: 600 jpy
• official website: tokyo-zoo.net

How to get there

Ueno Park is located in Taito City north of central Tokyo, which can be reached in about 25 minutes by subway or train.

The easiest way to get there is just via Ueno Station in the southeastern corner of the park, where you can use the following connection:

• JR Yamanote Line Train - Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace, Ginza, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Meiji Shrine, Akihabara, Hamarikyu Garden
• Keihin-Tohoku Line Train - Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace, Ginza, Shinagawa, Akihabara, Yokohama, Hamarikyu Garden
• Tokyo Metro Ginza Line - Ginza, Akihabara, Senso-Ji Temple, Shibuya
• Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line - Akihabara, Tsukiji Fish Market, Ginza, Tokyo Tower

All about trains and subways, fares and how to find connections can be found in the Tokyo Metro chapter.

Hotels in the area

Ueno is a good place to stay if you want to live in a quieter part of Tokyo, but still have great access to other areas as well as being within walking distance of livelier shopping streets.

Hotel prices in Taito City are slightly lower than in central Tokyo or the Shinjuku or Shibuya districts.

We would recommend these hotels here:

• Ueno Touganeya Hotel** - a local hotel with very small rooms with bathrooms and toilets, located directly across from Ueno Station and offering great rates
• Mitsui Garden Uneo **** - a great 4* hotel right next to Ueno Station
• Hotel Tomariya Ueno - the cheapest capsule hotel in Tokyo about 10 minutes walk from Ueno station in a quiet area
  • 💡 Our tip! We stayed at this hotel and wrote an honest review

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