UENO PARK

Ueno hill dominated the Edo bay. During the Tokugawa era, the park belonged to lordly families such as the Tsugaru. The shōgun Iemitsu Tokugawa (1623-1651) asked a monk named Tenkai to build a Buddhist monastery, Kan'ei-ji, there. Located in the northeast of the city, the temple was intended to protect it from evil. It was burned down during the struggle between the supporters of the emperor and the Tokugawa after the Meiji restoration. From that time on, the park became public and opened in 1873.

125 hectares in size, it is much more than a recreational area where people come to relax. Whether it is to go to the shrines and museums, to see the cherry blossoms or to participate in a festival, visitors are always numerous. The park is said to be visited by nearly 10 million people every year.
It is also a cultural center of the capital, as it is home to the University of Arts and Music, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts, the National Museum. All these buildings were built by prestigious architects such as Le Corbusier, Hitoshi Watanabe, Junzō Sakakura, Kunio Maekawa.
Arriving by the southern entrance of the park, by the Keisei station, one climbs up wide, gently sloping steps to reach the bronze statue of Saigō Takamori (1827-1877). It represents the samurai of the Satsuma clan and was erected by sculptor Kōun Takamura in 1892, in memory of this popular figure who fought with the imperial forces, before meeting a tragic end in 1877. Behind his statue is the tomb of the Shōgitai, the collective name for the samurai who defended the shōgun against imperial troops on Ueno Hill.
The famous Ueno Zoo, to the west of the park, is Japan's oldest. Pandas are the main attraction. You have to be patient to see them, but the rest of the animal park is a bit faded.
Another nostalgic museum, the Shitamachi museum, is located near the south entrance. Shitamachi, or the lower city, refers to the old working-class neighborhoods where merchants and craftsmen used to gather. Reconstructions of houses from the past, children's games, photos of Tokyo before and after the 1923 earthquake, there is enough to give an idea of the atmosphere in old Tokyo.
Finally, Shinobazu Pond is transformed into a field of water lilies in late summer. In the spring, the park's long driveway lined with cherry trees is dressed in white and pink. A must-see!