tokyo .

Ueno Map

Ueno Zoo

Established in 1882, Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan. The zoo is divided into the East Area and West Area connected by a suspended monorail which is very popular with children. There are about 500 species of animals from both Japan and abroad including some rare species.

Welcome to Ueno, dear pandas!

On April 1, people finally got to meet the two giant pandas from China, the powerful male Li-Li and the good-looking female Shin-Shin. These lovely pandas have created a new panda boom.

• ueno-panda.jp

Museums / Art Museums

The Tokyo National Museum houses 110,000 cultural properties from the Orientincluding 87 national treasures of Japan. The National Museum of Western Art specializes in all Western art works. The Ueno Royal Museum exhibits unique special exhibitions. The National Museum of Nature and Science displays natural science exhibits easily understood for the novice scientists among us.

• The National Museum of Western Art
• The Ueno Royal Museum
• National Museum of Nature and Science
• The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts
• Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Now closed due to renovation and will re-open in April 2012)

Sightseeing Spots around Ueno Onshi Park

Kanei-ji, founded in 1625, is a Buddhist temple that houses graves of the Tokugawa Family, the shogunate of the Edo period (1603-1868). Shinobazu no Ike is a pond within the park full of lotuses and to which thousands of migratory birds come every year. A boat ride on the pond can be very relaxing and having tea while watching traditional performances at Hasumi Chaya, a tea house near the pond open from July to September, is also a pleasant past-time during the summer and early autumn. Replicas of the old streets of shitamachi (downtown) are on display at the lakeside Shitamachi Museum.

• Kanei-ji
• Shitamachi Museum

Shopping

Ameyoko (Ameyayokocho) Shopping Street

This narrow shopping street stretching between Ueno and Okachimachi stations under the elevated JR railroad tracks is commonly called "Ameyoko." There are more than 400 cut-price shops selling seafood and dry goods, clothing, sundries, jewelry and cosmetics. Haggling for further "discounts" is possible at many of the stores. A variety of sporting goods and sneakers are for sale.

Okachimachi Jewelry Wholesale District

Jewelry Town Okachimachi, adistrict near J R Okachimachi Station, is Japan's only wholesale jewelry district. Strolling along the streets with names such as Ruby Street, Diamond Avenue, Sapphire Street, and Emerald Avenue is sure to be fun. Some of the jewelry can be had for half the usual price. Many young couples come to save money on high quality engagement and wedding rings.

Takeya

The most famous discount shop in Okachimachi is Takeya with eight shops around Naka-okachimachi Intersection for a total of 42 floors. The purple-painted buildings are distinctive of the Takeya stores. A wide variety of quality goods including home appliances, clothing, watches and jewelry, food, alcohol, convenience goods, sporting goods, medicine, furniture, cosmetics, and stationary are sold at surprisingly low discount prices.

Gourmet Guide

(map:a) Horaiya

This is a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant established in 1912. Their pork fillets are first deep-fried in oil at a high temperature and then placed in low temperature oil to finish, a process that makes the meat very juicy and tender. Tonkatsu goes well with rice and also is a good match with beer.

(map:b) Izuei

This is an old and established eel restaurant that started doing business 260 years ago. Eel seasoned in a slightly salty sauce are braised slowly over a charcoal fire. Eel dishes include unaju (eel on rice in a box), unadon (eel on rice in a bowl), and kabayaki (eel only without rice).

(map:c) Ueno Seiyoken

Established in 1872, this French cuisine restaurant was one of the first in Japan and is popular among a wide range of people. Beef stew, with a traditional demiglace sauce that is the pride of the restaurant, and Hayashi rice (rice with a meat hash) are popular dishes.