Yanaka to Ueno, Tokyo: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Yanaka Cemetery to Ameyoko in Tokyo: 5 stops, about 3.3 km, about 45 minutes of walking plus about 28 minutes of listening. Start in Yanaka Cemetery, opened in 1872 on the land of Tenno-ji temple, where the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, is buried under a cherry-lined avenue. Cross into Kan’ei-ji, founded in 1625 to guard Edo Castle’s unlucky northeast and largely burned in the Battle of Ueno in 1868. Pass the Tokyo National Museum, Japan’s oldest museum, and the gold-toned Ueno Tosho-gu, built in 1627 for Tokugawa Ieyasu. Finish in Ameyoko, the open-air market beside Ueno Station.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 3.3 km
- Walking:
- about 45 min
- Listening:
- about 28 min
Two ways to do this walk
Tokyo with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsYanaka to Ueno, Tokyo: how long does the walk take?
About 73 minutes in all: about 45 minutes on foot over about 3.3 km, plus about 28 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Yanaka to Ueno, Tokyo: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Yanaka Cemetery, Kan’ei-ji, Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Tosho-gu, and Ameyoko. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
A quiet cemetery of about 7,000 graves, opened in 1872 on temple land, with a cherry-lined central avenue and the grave of the last shogun.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kan’ei-ji · about 0.6 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 2
The Tendai temple founded in 1625 to guard Edo Castle’s northeast, burial temple of six shoguns, whose hilltop halls burned in the Battle of Ueno.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Tokyo National Museum · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 3
Japan’s oldest and largest museum, counted from an 1872 exhibition, with five halls of Japanese and East Asian art in the north of Ueno Park.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Ueno Tosho-gu · about 0.9 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 4
A shrine to Tokugawa Ieyasu founded in 1627, whose gold-toned buildings survived the Battle of Ueno, earthquakes and air raids.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Ameyoko · about 0.8 km, about 11 min on foot
Stop 5
Ameya-Yokocho, the open-air market of stalls and alleys that runs along the tracks beside Ueno Station, in Tokyo’s old downtown.
about 4 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Tokyo?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
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Plan more days in Tokyo
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Tokyo. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on October 31, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.