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Ueno Park
The Best One Day Tokyo Itinerary
Japan is a vast country with a myriad of things to do. One could spend their entire life trying to experience it all and never begin to scratch the surface. Between ancient shrines, temples, or the ultra modern, there is always something to do. Nevertheless, if someone had a single day to spend in this wonderful country there is one place I would wholly recommend — Ueno Park.
This answer both surprises and puzzles many Japanese yet despite this reaction I have not found a better smorgasbord of options in all of my travels. Wish you could get to see the Fushimi Inari Shrine but can’t make it to Kyoto? Ueno has you covered. Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine just too far for you? Don’t worry! Ueno has a little of that too.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), the Ueno Park grounds were originally part of Kan’ei-ji . The temple maintained strong connections with the Tokugawa shogunate and was one of the city’s biggest shrines. In 1868, most of the original structures were burned down to restore Emperor Meiji during the war. The area was transformed into the nation’s first Western style park in 1873 following the commencement of the new government.
How to Get There
Finding your way to Ueno is easy from any major train station in central Tokyo. In most cases, all you need to do is just hop on the Yamanote Line in whichever direction happens to be closer and you’ll be there in short measure. There are many other train lines that pull into the area (including subway lines) so check Hyperdia to see the best route from your location.
As one might expect, given the vast amount of converging lines, Ueno Station is one of the larger hubs in Tokyo. This means that it can be quite difficult to navigate, especially if you’re coming from the subway. If you follow my recommendations you should you should head toward the Hirokoji Exit of the station. Don’t hesitate to ask any of the staff if you get lost!
