Open Ueno & Yanaka in the guide, with the map, the walks and the places you can see for free.
Ueno & Yanaka, Tokyo
Museum row meets a low-key neighborhood untouched by the bubble years. Ameyoko's chaos by Ueno, Yanaka's cat-quiet lanes and azalea-famous Nezu Shrine a 10-minute walk away.
How I use Ueno & Yanaka
This is the Tokyo that survived the bubble years. Ameyoko's market shouting on one side of the station, and ten minutes north the cat-quiet lanes of Yanaka, where the yanaka-ginza shopping street still smells like grilled skewers at 4pm. Museum row is world class, but the neighborhood around it is the exhibit I care about.
What Ueno & Yanaka is known for
Ueno pairs a world-class museum park, the National Museum, science and Western-art museums, a zoo and a big pond, with the shouting, bargain energy of the Ameyoko market under the tracks. Ten minutes north, Yanaka is the opposite: one of the few districts that survived the war and the bubble intact, a quiet grid of temples, wooden houses, cats and the old-fashioned Yanaka Ginza shopping street.
Getting to Ueno & Yanaka
Ueno Station is a major hub on the JR Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku and several northbound lines, plus the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines. For Yanaka, ride the Yamanote loop one stop to Nippori and walk in from the west exit. From Tokyo Station, Ueno is about 8 minutes.
Start in Ueno Park with one museum, not three, then walk north into Yanaka in the afternoon, when the Yanaka Ginza street smells of grilled skewers and the light goes gold on the temple lanes.
What to eat & do in Ueno & Yanaka
I've vetted 15 places in Ueno & Yanaka myself, including 2 for bars & izakaya. Each one in the guide carries the nearest station and exit, what to order and the reservation reality.
The full names and the exact directions open in the full guide, that specificity is the whole product.
Ueno & Yanaka, Tokyo: frequently asked questions
Is Ueno worth visiting?
Yes, Ueno Park holds several of Tokyo's best museums and is beautiful in cherry-blossom season, and the neighbouring Ameyoko market is a lively, cheap contrast. Combine it with Yanaka just to the north for old-Tokyo atmosphere and you have a full, varied day.
How do I get to Ueno?
Take the JR Yamanote line to Ueno Station, or the Tokyo Metro Ginza or Hibiya line. It's about 8 minutes from Tokyo Station. For Yanaka, continue one stop to Nippori and use the west exit.
What is Ueno known for?
Ueno Park and its museums (the Tokyo National Museum among them), Ueno Zoo, Shinobazu Pond, spring cherry blossoms, and the Ameyoko street market. Nearby Yanaka is known for its surviving old-Tokyo temple-town streets and cats.
What is there to do in Yanaka?
Walk the Yanaka Ginza shopping street, wander the temple lanes and the large Yanaka cemetery (lovely in blossom season), browse small craft shops and old-house cafes, and enjoy one of the calmest, most photogenic corners of central Tokyo.
See Ueno & Yanaka before you go
I've filmed 22 walks through Ueno & Yanaka, on foot, no cuts and no commentary. Watch the light, the crowd and the pace before you decide how to spend an evening here.
Explore nearby
- Shibuya, Energy capital.
- Shinjuku, The city in miniature: skyscrapers west, Golden Gai's tin-roof bars and Omoide Yokocho's yakitori smoke east, Shinjuku Gyoen's gardens an unexpected hush in the middle.
- Asakusa, Old-Tokyo temple district.
- Ginza, Old-money Tokyo.
- Harajuku & Omotesando, Takeshita Street's teenage chaos one block from Omotesando's quiet luxury, the most architecturally beautiful shopping street in Tokyo.
- Akihabara, Anime, manga, retro arcades, ramen counters at 2am.