UENO PARK

Ueno Hill overlooked Edo Bay. In Tokugawa times, the park belonged to lordly families such as the Tsugaru. Shōgun Iemitsu Tokugawa (1623-1651) commissioned a monk named Tenkai to build a Buddhist monastery there, Kan'ei-ji. Located to the northeast of the city, the temple was intended to protect it from evil. It was burnt down during the struggle between the emperor's supporters and those of the Tokugawa following the Meiji Restoration. From then on, the park became public and opened in 1873. Covering more than 125 hectares, it's much more than a leisure area where people come to relax. Whether it's to visit shrines and museums, see the cherry blossoms or take part in a festival, visitors are always numerous. The park is said to be visited by almost 10 million people every year. It's also the capital's cultural center, home to the University of Arts and Music, the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts and the National Museum. All these buildings were designed by prestigious architects such as Le Corbusier, Hitoshi Watanabe, Junzō Sakakura and Kunio Maekawa. Arriving at the park's southern entrance, via Keisei station, you climb wide, gently sloping steps to reach the bronze statue by 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 imperial forces, before coming to 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 zoo. Pandas are its star attraction. You'll 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 town, refers to the old working-class districts where merchants and craftsmen used to congregate. Reconstructions of houses from the past, children's games, photos of Tokyo before and after the 1923 earthquake - there's enough here to give you an idea of the atmosphere in old Tokyo. Finally, Shinobazu Pond is transformed into a field of water lilies in late summer. In spring, the park's long cherry-tree-lined avenue is decked out in white and pink. A must-see!