Ueno Park Audio Guide

Ueno Park: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Ueno Park

   Welcome to Ueno Park, a large public park in the Taito Ward of central Tokyo, right beside Ueno Station. If you arrive by train, you will find that the station has a dedicated Park Exit, and the park is just across the street. That makes it one of the easiest green escapes in the city. The Yamanote loop line stops here, four stops from Tokyo Station, and the Keisei Skyliner links the station with Narita Airport. This is a place with layers. It is known for its museums, for the pandas at Ueno Zoo, for the water of Shinobazu Pond, for the historic Ueno Toshogu Shrine, and above all for its cherry blossoms. Yet underneath the paths and picnic spots lies an older story. This hill once belonged to one of the grandest temples in old Edo. Over the next few stops we will follow that story from temple hill to public park, then through the museums and the zoo, and finally out into the lively streets around it. Take your time. Ueno rewards the slow walker.

2. 02

   From Temple Hill to Public Park

   Before this was a park, it was the grounds of Kaneiji Temple. In the Edo period it was one of the city's largest and wealthiest temples, and it served as a family temple of the ruling Tokugawa clan. That is why the hill carries so much weight in Tokyo's memory. Then came the upheavals that ended the shogunate. During the Boshin War, which led to the Meiji Restoration, most of Kaneiji was destroyed, and the land passed into public hands. In January 1873 the government issued a notice calling for public parks, naming places of historic interest and scenic beauty where people could relax and enjoy themselves. It mentioned Sensoji and Kaneiji by name. This came just a year after the founding of Yellowstone, the world's first national park, and Ueno Park was established later that year, alongside Shiba, Asakusa, Asukayama and Fukugawa Parks. The story has one more twist. In 1924, on the marriage of Hirohito, the entire park, along with the museum and the zoo, was returned to the Tokyo Municipal Government as a wedding present.

3. 03

   Survivors of Kaneiji and Shrines of Edo

   Not everything from the old temple vanished. A few buildings survived and still stand among the trees. Look for the five-story pagoda of 1639, whose bright red tiers rise near Ueno Zoo. Look also for the Kiyomizu Kannondo, dating to 1631, and the old main gate of the temple. All three are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan, and they give you a glimpse of Tokugawa-era architecture in the middle of a modern capital. Other landmarks carry the Edo atmosphere too. The Ueno Toshogu Shrine dates back to the Edo period and offers a window into that era's spiritual life. Nearby, the Ueno Daibutsu, the Great Buddha of Ueno, is not as large or as complete as the famous Buddhas of Kamakura or Nara. Even so, it holds a meaningful place in the cultural history of Tokyo. As you wander, remember that you are walking a living timeline. Temples and shrines sit beside the grand museum buildings, and each belongs to a different chapter of Japan's story.

4. 04

   Museums, Pandas and the Pond

   Ueno Park is famous for the museums gathered on its grounds. The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest national museum in Japan and the country's largest art museum. It is made up of several buildings, and it holds a collection centered on ancient and medieval Japanese art, along with Asian art from along the Silk Road. Beside it you will find the National Museum of Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Ueno Royal Museum. The park itself once hosted national industrial exhibitions, in 1877, 1881 and 1890, so showing off the nation's progress has long been part of its character. Then there is Ueno Zoo, which opened in 1882 and is Japan's oldest zoo. It is best known today for its pandas. For a change of pace, head to Shinobazu Pond, a very special corner of the park. Close by, the Shitamachi Museum recalls the old downtown life of the craftsmen, fishermen, sailors and tradespeople who lived in this part of Tokyo. Exhibits and reconstructions there show life from the late Meiji to the early Showa periods.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Ueno Park changes with the seasons. In spring, more than a thousand cherry trees bloom, and the park becomes one of Tokyo's favorite places for blossom viewing, with picnics under pink canopies. In autumn, the tree-lined paths glow in red and gold. The park covers roughly 54 hectares, so there is always another path to try. When you leave, consider walking out through the Ame-Yoko market streets toward Akihabara, about 1.2 kilometers away. Akihabara once had a reputation for appliances and has since become a center for anime, manga and games. The walk takes you from a temple hill to pop culture in a single stroll, and it shows just how varied Tokyo can be. So what will you notice next? Perhaps the red of the old pagoda against the trees, or the way the museum buildings echo the ambitions of a new Japan. Ueno has a way of showing you something different on every visit.