Ueno Onshi Park

We got lost in this park and couldn’t find many of the things we wanted to see so my review is based on this one-​time poor experience. We did see street performers, a temple, and lots of walking paths. Bathrooms are also relatively clean but no soap. I’m sure we could have enjoyed this park more but we saw Ameyoko shopping street on our way here from the Ueno station and it looked more interesting so we left early. I don’t feel like we missed out on much though so Ueno Park might only be a place to check out if you have time for it.

Although it’s only about a third of the size of Central Park, Tokyo’s Ueno Park serves the same purpose as its New York City counterpart, providing the central hub for history-​rich museums and lush greenery in an otherwise bustling metropolis. Locals hold hanami picnic parties in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, but Jamie W. and I wouldn’t know since we were there during the dead of winter when the trees were still covered with fall foliage (global warming, y’know) and everyone was bundled up including us. Brrrr.
Even though there are seven different museums in Ueno Park, including the remarkable Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and Japan’s oldest zoo, we bypassed them all in favor of the more serene sights like Kiyomizu Kannon-​do Temple (photo:
), which has a design inspired by Kiyomizu-​dera in Kyoto, and Shinobazu Pond where all the colorful duck boats were resting for the winter (photo:
). We sat on one of the few benches that surround the pond to watch the comorants and the rest of Tokyo waking life stroll by (photo:
).

This is much more than a park. It has just about everything in it. A zoo, shrines, temples, pagodas, boating pond, kids amusement rides, restaurants, a Starbucks, baseball diamond, loads of hidden country style walks through wooded areas, statues, museums, and lots and lots of people.
I did not see everything as it would take all day to do that and I was just there for a few hours, but what I did see I really enjoyed. That was mainly wandering around the park, going round the pond and viewing all the amazing statues/​temples/​shrines.
We were lucky that it was very warm when we were there so there was plenty of time just to chill out in the sunshine. Grab yourself a sat and do some people watching. One word of warning, it is MASSIVE so don’t expect to get round it very quickly.

This is a pretty big park with a zoo, a small baseball field, a pond (rental boats available), little cafes (including a Starbucks), museums, as well as statues and shrines. I believe there’s also a children’s library and a kouban (police box?), and probably a lot more that I’m not aware of.
This is a very popular place for hanami, and cherry blossoms were full in bloom on the Saturday that I came with my daughter and cousin. That also meant that it was packed with people trying to get a glimpse of the beautifully blossomed trees, whether they were picnicking or just strolling. BTW, there’s supposedly about 1,200 cherry blossom trees here.
Regardless of the congestion, the flowers were breathtaking and I went crazy with my camera like a typical tourist (well, I was one after all).

C’est le parc incontournable pendant les cerisiers à Tokyo.
Les familles entières viennent avec leur bâche bleue pour se poser sous les cerisiers en fleur!
Le parc est composé d’un zoo, de plusieurs temples, des étendues d’eau remplies de Carpes Koï et de nénuphars !
En ce moment, c’est juste l’éclate visuelle, les cerisiers sont à 80% de leur floraison, dans deux ou 3 jours, ce sera encore plus joli, sauf si la pluie vient tout gâcher.

This park might be my most favorite in Tokyo. It has it all — shrines to pray at, a zoo, a baseball field yard, a pond with goose boats, various museums, a university, historical landmarks and statues, and best of all, the natural scenery. Seriously, the Sakura trees and bloom look so gorgeous during all seasons, including winter. The park also has Starbucks and several other cafes along with musicians playing their jam and food vendors roaming about. A whole day could literally be spent at this park if you wanted to!
P. S. bring a camera.

Ueno Park reminds me of San Francisco’s own Golden Gate Park. There is a zoo, museums, fountains, and a baseball diamond for local teams. I am sure there were more hidden gems to discover but I was only able to spend a few hours here. There happened to be a huge festival celebrating Nepal that drew large crowds who seemed to be enjoying themselves. The entrance fees to the zoo and the museum were reasonable. There were quite a few museums to choose from. There is a pass that allows access to all the museums instead of paying for admission separately.
I took the opportunity to rest my weary legs and enjoy a caffeinated beverage at the Starbucks located between the zoo and the museums. There is a wonderful outdoor patio where I was able to sit back and enjoy the people watching.

What a beautiful park!
There are so many things to explore in Ueno Park from the museums to the zoo. There are fountains, Starbucks, and street performers throughout the park and there is even a kiddie area for children.
Tokyo national museum was very nice and worth the entrance fee. It has a rotating exhibit that features items that fit the seasons. The museums are open on national holidays, but they are typically closed on Mondays.

Ueno Park has much to offer. It’s HUGE and it includes the Ueno Zoo, Shinobazu Pond, various museums, and sightseeing landmarks. I’ve never seen so much green in a city before.

I love this park! It’s huge! The air is really fresh, and it’s just lovely. They have many museums and a zoo within this park. You can’t not miss this park when you visit Tokyo.

A very large park right by the Ueno train station, in the park is a zoo, museums, and the university of Music.
There is also a temple but most of the time I go to Tokyo I end up the in the winter so I never get to see the! Lotus in the pond in bloom.
It is a very nice walk along the pond and a great place to relax.

This is a very very large park in Tokyo. Near the park there is a museum, a big zoo and the famous university of music and art called «Tokyo Geidai» (Tokyo University of Arts).
Ueno Park is a real park, so you should visit here if you want to escape the stress of a big town.
It’s good during the daytime, but it’s also so nice during the night.
It’s a good place to escape the summer heat as well. I went to this park at night last summer and I can’t forget how cool it was.
I wish there were more places to sit down in this park…

En effet, on né peut pas apercevoir qu’il soit un parc, car le quartier entier l’est déjà!
Il y a un zoo, les musées, des temples, enfin c’est super grand et vaste.
Ce qui est le plus connu dans ce parc, c’est le paysage magnifique des cerisers au printemps. Entouré des milliers de sakuras en fleur, vous trouverez les gens qui boient à l’ombré de jolis pétaux. (en fait je me demande toujours s’il voient les fleurs… lol)