Tokyo/Ueno

If you want to get a feel for old Tokyo, Ueno (上野) in the Taito district is a good place to start. Entirely lacking in high-rise condos or whiz-bang shopping malls, by Tokyo standards it's distinctly downmarket, in contrast to places like Ginza, but that means that eating, shopping and drinking are all affordably priced. Safety is not an issue, but the areas to the southwest of Ueno station has a high density of sex clubs with active bouncers and prostitutes soliciting their trade. Ueno has excellent connectivity not just around Tokyo, but to all of northern Japan as well. Several major museums and other cultural sites are conveniently located to the northwest of the well-connected station.

Get in
Ueno Station (上野駅 Ueno-Eki) was at one time the place from which steam locomotives chugged off to the snowy northeast, but nowadays the highspeed Shinkansen just make a brief stop. The JR Joban Line, which connects with the prefectures to the north still terminate here though. All local trains on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines stop here as well. The Keisei Skyliner and most Keisei limited expresses from Narita Airport terminate at Keisei Ueno Station, just south of the larger JR station.

Tokyo Metro's Hibiya and Ginza subway lines (stations H-17 and G-16) underpin both stations, with direct connecting passages to each.

Stations around Okachimachi (御徒町) are within walking distance to Ueno park, where you will find most of the major attractions in the area. Both of Okachimachi Station (御徒町駅) on the JR Yamanote line and JR Joban line and Naka-okachimachi Station (仲御徒町駅, H-16) on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya line are tightly connected to Ueno Station via the Ameyoko bazaar - walking through the street you can shop for souvenirs. Ueno-okachimachi Station (上野御徒町駅, E-09) on the Toei Oedo subway line connects Ueno directly with Ryogoku in the Sumida district in about 10 minutes.

See
Ueno Park (上野公園 Ueno-kōen), adjacent to the station, is home to most of the attractions in the area, including the Ueno Zoo and a concentration of Japan's best museums. In cherry blossom season, Ueno Park is Tokyo's most popular spot for outdoor hanami parties.

Tokyo National Museum
A gigantic complex that houses almost 100,000 art objects covering Japanese history from the Jomon period to the 20th century. Some descriptions are in English. Admission includes access to the following buildings:


 * Honkan is the main museum which is notable for the breadth of its displays. It displays works of artistic and historical value, including Buddhist statues, calligraphy, tea ceremony art, swords and armor, folding screen artwork, noh and kabuki-related items, and ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
 * Heiseikan is an archaeological museum which displays excavated items, such as pottery and burial statues from early periods. Heiseikan also houses special exhibitions.
 * Toyokan exhibits art from east Asia, India and Egypt.
 * The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures houses art donated by Horyuji temple (near Nara) in 1878. The modern museum building, designed in 1999 by Yoshio Taniguchi, is worth a visit for its own architectural merits.

City Walk
The walk starts from Tokyo National Museum. You can explore Yanaka's temples, galleries and old wooden buildings. Otherwise, you can follow the road north-west out of Ueno-kōen until you rch Katotoi-dōri. At the corner is the Shitamachi Museum Annexe, which is a preserved, century-old liquor store. Across the street is Kayaba Coffee, if you need refreshment.

From here, it's a short walk to SCAI the Bathhouse, an old public bathhouse that has been converted into a contemporary art gallery. Continue down to Edokoro, the studio of painter Allan West, to see the ancient, thick-trunked Himalayan cedar tree on the corner. Around here, there are many temples, including Enju-ji, where Nichika-sama, the 'god of strong legs' in enshrined. It is popular with runners. You can visit any of the temples, but be respectful and keep your voice low.

Next, walk back towards the entrance of Yanaka-reien, which is one of Tokyo's most atmospheric cemeteries, where you may find the neighbourhood's many stray cats sunning themselves. When you leave the cemetery, continue with the train tracks on your right, going up to the bridge, which overlooks the tracks. This is a favourite viewing spot for trainspotters (360° photo for this spot).

Head left and look for the sign pointing towards the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, Taitō, the home studio of an early-20th-century sculptor which is now a museum. Back on the main street, continue down the Yūyake Dandan (literally Sunset Stairs) to the classic mid-20th-century shopping street, Yanaka Ginza. Vendirs here sell a variety of snacks, which locals consume sitting on milk crates on the side of the road. There is also a beer stand here. To the west, you can get on the subway at Sendagi Station.

Eat


There's plenty of cheap food to be found all around Ueno station, including a large number of food stalls near the shrine on Shinobazu Lake.

In cherry blossom season, the local favorite is grilled rice dumplings known as dango (団子), slathered with either a sweet and salty soy-based sauce or chunky red bean paste. As the terse Japanese proverb says, Hana yori dango, or "Dumplings are better than blossoms".

Drink
Ueno is low on clubs, but heavy on traditional bars and seedier businesses.

"Without sake, what is the meaning of cherry blossoms?", proclaims a famous haiku poem. The profound truths contained within are experimentally tested every spring, when more or less all of Ueno Park disappears under a sea of blue tarps, picnicking secretaries and sozzled salarymen.



Sleep
Only hotels within walking distance of Ueno Station are listed here. See Taito for a listing of hotels elsewhere in the district.



Stay safe
Ueno is home to one of Tokyo's major red light areas and thus has a somewhat more sketchy atmosphere than most of the city. Compared to similar areas in most countries, however, it is very safe and you are unlikely to run into trouble. Do be careful of hawkers trying to pull you into a bar, though, as this is likely to be a snack which will charge an extortionate seating fee.

African scammers are known to operate in market areas and try to push their merchandise (usually overpriced, low quality, stolen or counterfeit) on foreigners. While usually not violent, these African scammers usually have connections with organized crime and best to be avoided and ignored. Ueno is also known for being frequented by fake Buddhist monks. They will give you a trinket and then a piece of paper saying it is the treasure of their temple and they would like a donation to rebuild said temple. This is a lie, they are known to be an organized begging gang with no religious affiliation who specifically target obvious foreigners.

Go next

 * Akihabara &mdash; the hub for geek culture is two stops away by JR Yamanote Line
 * Asakusa &mdash; Tokyo's top temples are two stops away by Metro Ginza Line
 * Bunkyo &mdash; University of Tokyo and a slice of Old Tokyo are within strolling distance of Ueno Park