Sakura 🌸 Experience at Ueno Park

During Spring in Tokyo, besides Shinjuku Gyoen, another must-visit park is Ueno Park, Tokyo’s most popular park. At our visit to Tokyo in late March, we had the day and night hanami experience at Ueno Park.

A picture speaks a thousand words, sharing my experience with the photos we captured. Enjoy.

A Day at Ueno Park

 

Ueno Park, officially known as the Ueno Onshi Park 上野恩賜公園, which means Ueno Imperial Gift Park, is not just a park but a cultural centre of 300 acres filled with museums, temples, shrines, zoo, natural attractions, cafes, important institutions and several of Japan’s top schools.

 

Ueno Park is also one of the best spots in Tokyo for hanami, with 8,800 trees in the Park. Whether day or evening, the Park was just as crowded with people, both locals and tourists.

 

The Park grounds were originally part of Kaneiji Temple, which used to be one of the city’s largest and wealthiest temples and a family temple of the ruling Tokugawa clan during the Edo Period. On 15 May 1868, a battle, the Ueno War, was fought here which delimited Edo era and Meiji Restoration. After the battle, the temple grounds were converted into one of Japan’s first Western-style parks and opened to the public in 1873.

Kiyomizu Kannon Temple

Kiyomizu Kannon-Temple (Kiyomizu Kannon-do) was established in the early 1630s when it was one of the structures of Kaneiji Temple. The “Kiyomizu” derives from Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, which inspired this temple’s design.

View of the Benten-do Temple and Shinobazu Pond from the stage of Kiyomizu.

The famous Moon Pine, with branches forming a circle, is right in front of the balcony.

An Evening at Ueno Park

The evening before we departed from Tokyo, we headed to Ueno Park to experience hanami in the evening. Though it was evening, the Park was just as crowded, if not more crowded. Check out the photos below on my evening experience at Ueno Park.

I am so glad we made it for this trip to experience the cherry blossoms season. One off the bucket list.

 

The Lowdown

How to get there: Two minutes walk from Ueno Station (JR), five minutes walk from Ueno-Okachimachi Station (Toei Subway Oedo Line), one minute walk from Keisei Ueno Station (Keisei Line)

Opening Hours: 5:00 to 23:00

Admission: Free

For more information on Ueno Park, go to www.kensetsu.metro.tokyo.jp/jigyo/park/kouenannai/park/ueno/.

 

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