A picnic under pink splendour
Fascinating, blossoming Hanami
Ueno Park is especially popular during Hanami. This is the arrival of spring, when Japan transforms into a sea of pink flowering cherry blossoms, usually from the second half of March through the first half of May. Ueno Park offers a spectacular sight with its thousands of trees that form a bright, picturesque hedge. The Japanese take the opportunity to celebrate the nice weather and flock here to picnic underneath all of this beauty. Ueno Park is so popular that the Japanese spread their picnic blankets side by side.
Tokyo National Museum
A collection of beautiful museums
The museums in the park are also worth a visit. Art lovers will enjoy the National Museum of Western Art and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum for contemporary art. The National Museum of Nature and Science features beautiful interactive displays and 2 floors of dinosaur exhibits. But the most attractive museum is the Tokyo National Museum. It consists of 5 large buildings packed with impressive artefacts such as Japanese art, ancient pottery, samurai swords and kimonos.
Punting in swan boats
From the zoo to swan boats
Ueno Zoo, the oldest zoo in Japan, takes up a large part of Ueno Park. The zoo boasts almost 500 animal species and features exhibits such as a gorilla forest and tiger forest. This is also where you find the pagoda of the Kaneiji Temple. Swan lovers will enjoy the boats in the picturesque Shinobazu Pond outside of the zoo. The crafts have been modelled after these elegant creatures and the boats among the lotus flowers make for quite a lovely sight.
