Ueno Park
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| Extensive and beautiful park | Can get very crowded at peak times |
| Best during cherry blossom season |
Ueno Park is the oldest western style park in Japan. You can read more about the history here. It is an extensive complex of places to visit and will take up a full day of any visitor’s time. Ueno Park is busy all times of the year however multiple visits during the year are warranted due to the extensive cherry blossom population and the seasonal Lotus Flowers covering Shinobazu Pond.
The various flowers of Ueno Park
Ueno park has a variety of flowering plants that display their offerings throughout the year. There are maybe 30 different types of flowers listed in the Japanese Ueno Park homepage, with not a single month missed out. The map below shows the major flowers (original PDF here). Unfortunately, s single trip to Japan won’t allow you to view both the cherry blossoms and lotus flowers.
| Flower | When |
|---|---|
| Cherry Blossoms | Late March to mid-April |
| Plum Blossoms | Mid-February to early-March |
| Lotus Flowers | July and August |
| Peony | Mid-April to mid-May |
| Hydrangeas | MId-June to mid-July |
NOTE: During the cherry blossom season late-March to early-April, the park becomes full of Japanese taking part in the traditional “Hanami” (blossom viewing party). Large sections of the park will be full of picnic goers, drinking and eating on blue tarp. The main path through the park can get very crowded so it may be best to avoid the area if crowds are not your thing. The areas around the ponds tend to be less crowded at these times.
Access to Ueno Park
Access to Ueno Park is very simple. There is a Ueno Park Exit in Ueno Station that will take you directly to the park. You can also walk to the park from Akihabara or Asakusa (both about 30 minutes walk).
Planning your day around Ueno Park
Ueno Park is home to a variety of attractions. There are so many places to visit that you can easily spend an entire day just in and around Ueno Park. The following is a non-exhaustive list of attractions in Ueno Park.
Shinobazu Pond
Ueno Zoological Gardens
Tokyo National Mueseum (link)
National Museum of Nature and Science
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
National Museum of Western Art
Gojoten Shrine / Hanazono Inari Shrine
Eating in and around the local area
When Japan recommends heading back towards Akihabara for lunch or dinner. Most of the restarants and places to eat are located in and around the Ame Yokocho, which is a bustling market street other so packed with visitors that it can be a challenge to walk at anything other than a snails pace. Check out the main page of the Ame Yokocho here for recommendations.
Locations 30 minutes walk from Ueno Park
Asakusa is a busy tourist district with notable temples and shopping strips selling traditional goods. It is a 30 minute walk. Just point yourself in the direction of the Skytree and keep walking. (directions). The walk will also take you via the Kappabashi Dougu Street, which has a number of shops selling Japanese cooking goods, including the plastic food used in shops to show off their cuisine to prospective customers
Akihabara is a popular tourist spot for anime fans and computer nerds. Don’t forget to try out a cream or sweet bean Taiyaki on the way, they are a delicious sweet treat.
There is a When Japan walk that will take you around Akihabara, Ueno and Asakusa.
