From Wikitravel

If you want to get a feel for old Tokyo, Ueno (上野) in the Taito district is a good place to start. Entirely lacking in high-rise condos or whiz-bang shopping malls, by Tokyo standards it's distinctly downmarket, but that means that eating, shopping and drinking are all affordably priced. Safety is not an issue and Ueno has excellent connectivity not just around Tokyo, but to all of northern Japan as well.

[edit] Get in

Ueno station was at one time the place from which steam locomotives chugged off to the snowy northeast, but now the Shinkansen just make a brief stop. The JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines stop here, as well as the Hibiya and Ginza subway lines.

The Keisei Skyliner and most Keisei limited expresses from Narita Airport terminate in Ueno, as does the JR Joban Line which runs off to Mito and Iwate.

[edit][add listing] See

• Tokyo University, [1]. On the north western edge of Ueno Park is the University of Tokyo. The entire university is gated. The university is open to the public. edit

Ueno Park (上野公園 Ueno-kōen), adjacent to the station, is home to most of the attractions in the area, including the Ueno Zoo and a concentration of Japan's best museums. In cherry blossom season, Ueno Park is Tokyo's most popular spot for outdoor hanami parties.

• Saigō Takamori Statue (西郷隆盛像). Near the main entrance to the park from JR station stands an unassuming statue of a pudgy man walking his dog. This is Saigō Takamori, a famous samurai general best known for leading the doomed Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government (and the inspiration for Hollywood blockbuster The Last Samurai). These days, it's the canonical place for meeting people at the park.

• Ueno Zoo (上野動物園) has over three hundred animals, including its star attractions, the giant pandas. Open 9:30AM-4:30PM (last entry 4PM) Tue-Sun. Admission ¥600
• Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館 Tōkyō kokuritsu hakubutsukan), [2]. A gigantic complex that houses almost 100,000 art objects covering Japanese history from the Jomon period to the 20th centruy. Some descriptions are in English. General admission ¥420, university students ¥130, high school and younger free. Open daily 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, closed Mon. Special exhibitions charge separate admission fees. Admission includes access to the following buildings:
  • Honkan is the main museum which is notable for the breadth of its displays. It displays works of artistic and historical value value, including Buddhist statues, calligraphy, tea ceremony art, swords and armor, folding screen artwork, noh and kabuki-related items, and ukio-e woodblook prints.
  • Heiseikan is an archelogical museum which displays excavated items, such as pottery and burial statues from early periods. Heiseikan also houses special exhibitions.
  • Toyokan exhibits art from east Asia, India and Egypt.
  • The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures houses art donated by Horyuji temple (near Nara) in 1878. The modern museum building, designed in 1999 by Yoshio Taniguchi, is worth a visit for its own architectural merits.

• National Museum of Western Art, [3]. Houses an extensive collection of Western art, including the original of Rodin's famous The Thinker. Entry ¥420, open daily 9:30-17:00. Free admission on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month.
• National Science Museum (国立科学博物館), [4]. Recently re-opened in a new building, focuses on the living world, with life-sized representations of practically every life form the earth has ever seen, from the blue whale (outside the old building) to hundreds of exotic insects. There are also sections covering technology, the physical sciences, and hands-on exhibits for children, as well as the stuffed and mounted body of Hachiko, of Shibuya statue fame.
• Shinobazu Pond (不忍池 Shinobazu-ike), adjacent to Ueno Park. Full of water lilies and waterfowl and has the picturesque little Bentendō Hall shrine, dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten, in the middle.
• Shitamachi Museum (下町風俗資料館), near the southeast corner of Shinobazu Pond. A small museum that offers a glimpse into life in the area in the early 20th century, with re-created houses and stores, and cultural artifacts.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Ameyoko (アメ横) is a packed shopping bazaar full of stalls selling almost anything you can imagine. It runs roughly south of Ueno station along the inside of the JR Yamanote line tracks to Okachimachi station. If you are looking for a more typically "Asian" market street in Tokyo, with bargaining expected and friendly vendors trying to out-shout each other, this is it. Definitely a good place for souvenirs for friends back home. The district got its name in the post-war years from the American blue jeans and other items that were sold on the black market.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There's plenty of cheap food to be found all around Ueno station, including a large number of food stalls near the shrine on Shinobazu Lake.

In cherry blossom season, the local favorite is grilled rice dumplings known as dango (団子), slathered with either a sweet and salty soy-based sauce or chunky red bean paste. As the terse Japanese proverb says, Hana yori dango, or "Dumplings rather than blossoms".

[edit] Budget

• Yayoiken (やよい軒), Higashi-Ueno 3-37-9 (on Asakusa-dori, 2 min from JR Ueno), [5]. Cheap and cheerful grills served on a hot teppan iron plate, with all the rice you can eat. Plastic food models plus a coupon machine with pictures make ordering easy. Morning sets from ¥350, full meals from ¥580. Open 7 AM to 11 PM.

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

• Ueno Seiyōken (上野精養軒), [6], in the Ueno Park grounds. Opened in 1877, this was one of the first Western restaurants in Japan, serving French cuisine befitting its stature. Lunch from ¥2400, dinner ¥10000+.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Ueno is low on clubs, but heavy on traditional bars and seedier businesses.

"Without sake, what is the meaning of cherry blossoms?", proclaims a famous haiku poem. The profound truths contained within are experimentally tested every spring, when more or less all of Ueno Park disappears under a sea of blue tarps, picnicking secretaries and sozzled salarymen.

• Tōrindō (桃林堂). Ueno-sakuragi 1-5-7, [7] (Japanese only). A little off the beaten track but just a short walk from the Tokyo National Museum, this traditional shop serves tea ceremony tea (¥450) without the ritualized fuss and delectable Japanese desserts (¥150+) to go with them. Open daily 9 AM to 5 PM.

• Tasuichi (plus one) Down the street from the 0101 department store is an extremely small but very friendly stand-up bar. They serve good food, have cheap drinks, speak some English, and are very friendly to foreigners. A great place to go if you are traveling by yourself, know some very basic Japanese and want to make friends with a local or two, but this is not a club. The surrounding area is filled with similar places.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Only hotels within walking distance of Ueno station are listed here. See Taito for a listing of hotels elsewhere in the district.

• Oak Hotel [8], Higashi-Ueno 6-1-2 (two blocks north from JR Ueno stn Asakusa exit, tucked into an alley on the left). Student priced single rooms start at ¥5670.

• Tsukuba Hotel Ueno (ツクバホテル), Moto-Asakusa 2-7-8 (1 min from Metro Ginza Inaricho stn, 8 min from JR Ueno), tel. +81-3-3834-2556, [9]. Old but functional business hotel offering small but cheap rooms. Free wireless, free PCs, coin laundry, used to dealing with foreigners. Western-style single rooms with en-suite bath from ¥5250, Japanese-style tatami rooms with shared bath from ¥4000.

• Sutton Place Hotel Ueno (サットンプレイスホテル), 7-8-23, Ueno, Taito-ku (from JR Ueno station, Iriya exit, cross the street to Iwakura High School; continue to the end of that block; turn left at the next traffic light; hotel is on the left. 2 min walk total.), ☎ +81-3-3842-2411 (fax: +81-3-3842-2414), [10]. Check in: 15h; Check out: 12h. Mid-range hotel, in the Renaissance Group. Rooms have en-suite toilet. Staff speaks English. Breakfast included. Free internet access in the lobby. The hotel is located in a quiet street in Ueno, 2 minutes walking from JR Ueno Station and 5 minutes walking from subway Ueno station (see map on web site). from ¥7000.  edit

[edit] Contact

The Tokyo Tourist Information Center, a good source of tourist information, is located in the Keisei train station outside the ticket gates. This office is geared for foreign visitors, with so all materials are in languages other than Japanese and all staff speak English. Open 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM daily.

[edit] Get out

• Akihabara — the mecca of geek culture is two stops away by JR Yamanote Line
• Asakusa — Tokyo's top temples are two stops away by Metro Ginza Line

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!