Ueno Park guide: history, hidden spots and events nearby

Art museums, national museums, a zoo and Shinobazu Pond, all in one park. Entry to the park is free and you can walk it from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. We think it is the richest park in Tokyo.

🎧 Audio guide (9 tracks, in Japanese) →

Kyochika's tips

It is a shame to walk straight past everything on the way to a museum or the zoo. See one exhibition, then add just one of the little-known spots below.
Walk up from Bentendo on Shinobazu Pond to Kiyomizu Kannon-do, and you can look at the pond through the ring of the “Moon Pine” that Hiroshige painted. A five-minute detour on the way back from a museum.

Events near Ueno Park now and coming up

Within 1.5 km, nearest first. Checked against official pages.

🍜 Where to eat after

Top-rated restaurants in Ueno (Tabelog, sorted by rating)→Restaurants near here on Google Maps→

Many restaurants in Japan take reservations, and some are cash only. Check the restaurant page before you go.

Next stop: book for later today PR

Tickets and experiences near here that you can book on Klook. Filter by “Today” to see what is still open.

Ueno and Ameyoko food tours→Tokyo Skytree tickets→Kimono rental in Asakusa→All things to do in Tokyo →

Visiting info

Park hours	5:00–23:00 (most museums open around 9:00 or 9:30 and close between 16:00 and 17:30; many close on Mondays)
Admission	Free (museums, the zoo and other facilities charge separately)
Address	5-20 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Getting there	About 5 min walk from the Park exit of JR Ueno Station. Also walkable from Tokyo Metro Ueno, JR Uguisudani and Keisei Ueno stations

Checked on 2026-10-27 against the official pages. Hours and fees can change; please check before you go.

Sources: GO TOKYO (official Tokyo travel guide): Ueno Park (Japanese)

How did Ueno become a park?

Until the end of the Edo period, this was the grounds of Kan'ei-ji, the family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns. Construction of Kan'ei-ji began in 1624 under the priest Tenkai.

In 1868 most of Kan'ei-ji burned in the Battle of Ueno between the Shogitai and the new government's army. The government planned to build a hospital on the burned land, but the Dutch army doctor Anthonius Bauduin, who was in Japan at the time, is said to have urged that the nature here be kept and the land made into a park.

In 1873 it became one of the first five places in Japan designated as public parks. In 1924 the Imperial Household Ministry granted it to the City of Tokyo, which is why its official name includes “Onshi” (imperial gift).

Sources: National Diet Library: Ueno Park in woodblock prints and photos (Japanese) / Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation: a walk in Ueno Park (Japanese) / GO TOKYO: Ueno Park (Japanese)

A small story about the Saigo statue

The statue of Saigo Takamori at the south entrance of the park was unveiled in 1898. The statue is by Takamura Koun; the dog at his side is by his pupil Goto Sadayuki.

At the unveiling, Saigo's widow Ito is said to have muttered in the Satsuma dialect something like “My husband was not like this,” to the alarm of Saigo's younger brother Tsugumichi standing beside her.

Saigo's real favorite dog is said to have been a Western breed, but it was changed to a Satsuma dog during the making of the statue because it did not suit the figure.

Sources: Serai.jp: Saigo Takamori's real dog (Japanese)

Why there is a five-story pagoda inside the zoo

The current pagoda was built in 1639. It belonged to Toshogu, and when Kan'ei-ji's grounds shrank with the Meiji separation of Shinto and Buddhism, it was left on its own.

After the war the temple could no longer maintain it, and in 1958 it was donated to Tokyo. Today it stands inside Ueno Zoo — a national Important Cultural Property you can see with a zoo ticket.

Sources: 国土交通省多言語解説「旧寛永寺五重塔」 (Japanese)

Saigo's dog Tsun was really a female

The dog with Saigo is named Tsun. The real Tsun is said to have been female, but the statue is male.

The model was a Satsuma dog from Sakurajima that was good at hunting rabbits. In front of the statue, you can't help checking the dog.

Sources: デイリースポーツ (Japanese) / サライ.jp (Japanese)

The National Museum of Western Art was built for paintings returned from France

The Western art collected by businessman Matsukata Kojiro was seized by the French government during the war. After the war it was returned to Japan on condition that a building be made to keep and show it.

That building is Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art, opened in 1959 and listed as World Heritage in July 2016.

Sources: GO TOKYO「国立西洋美術館」 (Japanese)

Japan's oldest museum

The Tokyo National Museum began with Japan's first “exhibition,” held at Yushima Seido in March 1872, making it the oldest museum in Japan.

The oldest building on the grounds is the Hyokeikan of 1909. The current main building was completed in 1937; the first, designed by Josiah Conder, was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Sources: ニッポン旅マガジン「東京国立博物館」 (Japanese)

Ueno without pandas, for the first time in 54 years

Japan's first pandas, Kang Kang and Lan Lan, arrived on October 28, 1972. For half a century Ueno was the panda town.

On January 27, 2026, the twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei returned to China, leaving Japan without pandas for the first time in 54 years.

Sources: AFPBB News (Japanese)

Getting there by taxi and bus

🚌 Bus

JR Ueno Station Park Exit (JR上野駅公園口) / Iriya Exit (上野駅入谷口) Taito City loop bus Tozai Megurin (Ueno Park / Misakazaka round-trip route) Right outside the station gates
Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館前) Tozai Megurin drop-off stop Inside the park, in front of the museum
Ueno Station (across from the JR main exit) Three Toei Bus stops. Flat fare 210 yen (206 yen with IC card) In front of the station
Shitaya 2-chome (下谷二丁目), stop 3 Toei Bus 上26 bound for Ueno Park (from near Uguisudani Station) The route ends at Ueno Park

Other ways to get around

Tobu Bus Skytree Shuttle Links Ueno, Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree from in front of the Ueno Park Exit. 220 yen (216 yen with IC card).
Sky Hop Bus (open-top) Asakusa-Skytree course; 24-hour pass 3,500 yen. The regular stop is about 10 minutes south of the station outside Matsuzakaya's Minami-kan; on weekends and holidays it stops across from the main entrance.
S-1 Shitamachi Bus (Toei sightseeing) From the Ueno Koen Yamashita stops on Chuo-dori to Ueno Park and Asakusa. Same flat fare as other Toei buses.

Ueno Park is large and its nearest entrance is a 5-minute walk from the JR Park Exit; few taxis or cars go inside, so walking from the station is quickest. Megurin costs 100 yen per ride (300 yen day pass) and runs every 15-20 minutes. RIDE. The rear-left door opens automatically, so do not pull it yourself. You can also book a taxi by app: GO works in English with foreign phone numbers and cards, Uber books licensed taxis in Tokyo, and since early 2026 visitors can call S.RIDE taxis through DiDi in the 23 wards and nearby.

Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Accessible Tourism (Ueno) (Japanese) / Ueno Station: Bus Services in Ueno / Toei Bus: Uguisudani bus stops (Japanese) / GO TOKYO: Ueno Park (Japanese) / Lonely Planet: guide to taking a taxi in Japan / Tabimania Japan: How to Use Taxis in Japan (2026 Guide) / Japan Taxi Apps for Tourists (Oct 12, 2026)

Our suggested route

JR Ueno Station, Park exit Tokyo Bunka Kaikan and the National Museum of Western Art are right in front.
Past the fountain to the Tokyo National Museum The museum faces you at the end of the park.
Ueno Toshogu and the pagoda Toshogu was founded in 1627. The pagoda is seen up close from inside the zoo.
Kiyomizu Kannon-do Look at Shinobazu Pond through the ring of the Moon Pine.
Shinobazu Pond and Bentendo 13 min from the park in GO TOKYO's model course. Lotus flowers on summer mornings.
Ameyoko 5 min from the pond. Finish at the market street that began as a postwar black market.

GO TOKYO's model course (Ueno Station → Ueno Park → Shinobazu Pond and Bentendo → Ameyoko) is only 23 minutes of walking. If you go into a museum, allow about 2 hours for each (our estimate).

Sources: GO TOKYO「上野モデルコース」 (Japanese) / GO TOKYO「上野東照宮」 (Japanese)

What to see by season

Mid March – early April	Ueno Sakura Festival: about 800 Somei-yoshino trees and about 800 lanterns along the central path (March 14 – April 5 in 2026)
July – August	Lotus on Shinobazu Pond. Flowers open around 7–9 a.m. and close by midday

Sources: GO TOKYO「うえの桜まつり」 (Japanese) / MATCHA「不忍池」 (Japanese)

Nearby: combine with

Ameyoko 5 min from Shinobazu Pond. For street food after a museum.
Yanaka and Nezu Old streets northwest of the park, walkable past Kan'ei-ji (our tip: a detour on the way back from an exhibition).

Sources: GO TOKYO「上野モデルコース」 (Japanese)

Little-known spots

The “Moon Pine” at Kiyomizu Kannon-do: A pine whose branch is trained into a round ring, in front of the hall Tenkai built in 1631 after Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. Hiroshige painted it in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Lost to a typhoon in the Meiji era, it was restored in 2012. You can see Shinobazu Pond through the ring.
Masaoka Shiki Memorial Ballpark: The poet Masaoka Shiki loved baseball and played pickup games with friends in this park. He even used “Noboru” (a pun on “no-ball”, from his childhood name) as a pen name, and the Japanese words for “batter” and “runner” are his translations. A stone with his haiku stands by the field.
The Bell of Time: The bell of Basho's haiku “A cloud of blossoms — is that bell from Ueno, or Asakusa?” The current bell was recast in 1787 and is still rung at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
Graves of the Shogitai: Graves of the Shogitai warriors who died in the Battle of Ueno. Built in 1881, the stone bears only the words “Graves of the war dead.”
Shinobazu Pond was a racecourse: On November 1, 1884, the first horse races were held around Shinobazu Pond, attended by Emperor Meiji. Hard to imagine from the quiet pond today.
What happened to the Ueno Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Ueno, built in 1631, fell in the Great Kanto Earthquake, and its body was later lost to the wartime metal collection.

Sources: Tabi-kofure: Kan'ei-ji Kiyomizu Kannon-do and the Moon Pine (Japanese) / Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation: a walk in Ueno Park (Japanese) / National Diet Library: Ueno Park in woodblock prints and photos (Japanese)

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Ueno Park?

5:00–23:00 (most museums open around 9:00 or 9:30 and close between 16:00 and 17:30; many close on Mondays)

How much does Ueno Park cost?

Free (museums, the zoo and other facilities charge separately)

How do I get to Ueno Park?

About 5 min walk from the Park exit of JR Ueno Station. Also walkable from Tokyo Metro Ueno, JR Uguisudani and Keisei Ueno stations

How did Ueno become a park?

Until the end of the Edo period, this was the grounds of Kan'ei-ji, the family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns. Construction of Kan'ei-ji began in 1624 under the priest Tenkai.

What are some little-known spots in Ueno Park?

The “Moon Pine” at Kiyomizu Kannon-do, Masaoka Shiki Memorial Ballpark, The Bell of Time, Graves of the Shogitai, Shinobazu Pond was a racecourse, What happened to the Ueno Daibutsu.

More Tokyo sights & gardens → · This guide in Japanese

We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).