Ueno Park, Tokyo

This was a great day for our family. The weather was not so hot and also rainy so the animals were actually very active. A lot of babies too! Overall a lot of animals. We also ate lunch in the cafeteria. Pretty good. Got the chicken that they said had a soy sauce taste but it didn't. Great value too! 600 yen for adult and free for under 11. Incidentally, the polar bears seemed fine and dandy to me. There area was very good size too.

Standing on top of Ueno Hill and opened in 1873, Tokyo's first public park houses several world-class museums, a popular zoo, shrines, temples, a rental boat lake, historical...

Ueno park is a nice place to walk and enjoy some green in the middle of tokyo.. It has several attractions surounding it such as the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Western Art Museum, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo Science Museum & a local shrine. Although it is a nice place it lacks some key essentials such a place to lay out your blanket and nice playground facilities.. I'd visit Ueno park mostly for the outlining activities the museums are a must see.

I am origianlly from Tokyo, so I have been to Ueno many times. The zoo is one of the most famous in Japan and you can see the Pandas. There are loads of excellent musiums in the area. There are museum pass that is good for the area museums. If you are planning to go more than two museums, the pass is the best way to go. Just be aware everything is closed on Monday.

We visited the zoo with our 2 year old son in 1961 and 1962. Our visits were so pleasant that we have never forgeten the experieces. The local children were learning English in Scool and need conversation. The children would follow us around the Zoo so the could practise English. Our trips wer very pleasant which we rember today. Iam now 83 and would love to trlive those experiences. Pleasant memories

Though you'll probably have to wait another year now to visit the Cherry Blossoms at Ueno Park, they are worth it. We just walked the park as the petals snowed all around us. Lovely and Fantastic. So I came to Tokyo when I did. They were early this year Early April. Walk by the little lake and cross the bridge lined with vendors selling grilled Squid, corn on the cob, and other Japanese festival fare.

The ueno area is a great place to visit. The park is very beautiful and a good size, the ueno zoo was great and very cheap. It is also a short distance from the train station and has some very nice stores in the surrounding area.

Been to Ueno several times over the last 8 years and always find something worthwhile to pass the time and some great Ryokan (Japanese guesthouse/B&B). There's the great temple complex Goju just under the Zoo's monorail which if you're at the right time, you will see people practicing Kyudo (Japanese Archery) from within the dojo out into the temple garden. (Been past well late at night and they're still practicing). The market around shinobazu pond looks great at night all lit up and there are all sorts of bargains to be had and even a spot of hands on pot painting if you're feeling artistic. There are homeless people in the park, but there's no danger of mugging or anything like that and there's a great deal of shopping to be done in the streets next to the railway where they started after the war as a black market system, now a fully developed shopping area, complete with the obligitory Mc D's & KFC :( As with the rest of Tokyo a place full of contrasts and well worth a visit. Will be taking some of my students there when I'm over in July this year.

I enjoyed strolling down wide well kept walk ways lined with sweet smelling blossoms and food stands with both western and japanese food stands that are resonably priced and tasty. Mcdonalds and kfc tastes better there. The scenery and awe of the temples are exquisit for their craftmanship and see why electronics are so advanced there. Strangers show directions and go blocks or out of their way if you are lost since most tokyoites speak english. I felt like a rockstar with all the attention and girls coming up to you and say I LOVE YOU! I am average looking too. Drinking there is fun and people treat you out alot to practice their english and seem well educated. Although an influx of iranians gather in the park and look homeless they are just transients looking for cash jobs and can be mistaken as homeless as the other reviewers said. i am well cultured and speak 6 languages. I only saw one homeless man in 6 years there and mostly everyones employed even disabled can get a job and everones honest and passionate just like the karaoke. They live humbly and respect elders. Sing a beatles or elvis song and they will be very delighted. You can make easily 5gs teaching privately if you hustle or 3 through a school. You can talk to any tourist and make instant friends which is like a network. Oh well it is definately a life experience I'll never forget plus I got a black belt in aikijujitsu -900 year old martial art which you don't need there but has saved my hide many times here in insane c anada. Drunk japanese are not violent by nature but are nonagressive and compromising which make you feel totally safe there 24hrs a day. They will melt in your hand and feel like kids after 3 pints and sushi. Stay in Ikebukuro for a 100$ hotel or 50 for a capsule or hostels at 40 but for a japanese experience try a traditional style and you really feel like a samurai! Gambaro! Do your best!

Ueno is the best final destination for someone who does not want to venture too far in Tokyo. It has the shrines, zoo, museums, park itself and countless smaller activities. In the spring, it is famous for the cherry blosoms. In the summer, the activities. Kite flying . . . . It is an exceptional value and a place one would not want to miss.