Getting there: Subway station Ueno

We have visited the Ueno Park twice because it is such a large and lively park, where a lot is going on. The park once belonged to the Kaneiji Temple, which was the family temple of Tokugawa clan during the Edo Period. After the Boshin Civil War in 1868, the temple grounds were transformed into the Ueno Park (1873). One can find a statue of Saigo Takamori one of the generals of this Civil War. The pond and the Bentendo (in honor of Goddess Benten) temple hall, in which you can find paddle boats in the shape of a swan, should suggest the Enryakuji Temple and Lake Biwako near Kyoto. The Ueno Park is famous for its cherry blossom spotting because of the more than 1000 cherry trees, so in March and April it attracts many hanami parties. Also all the important museums can be found in the park, like the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Science Museum. Besides this there are several temples to visited and the Ueno Zoo is also situated in the Ueno Park, so plenty of things to see and to do in the Ueno Park. The Ueno Park is free for the Museums and Ueno Zoo you have to buy a ticket.