Millions of water lilies litter the top of the still, green water that ripples from the koi found beneath and from waterfowl that swim above. Shinobazu Pond is adjacent to Ueno Park with a small Bentendō Hall shrine, which is dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten, in the heart of the park. There’s a pond area for paddle and row boats to the left of the Lotus pond and the Cormorant pond which takes its name from the birds that live there, and borders the zoo.

Also within Ueno Park are many museums like the Tokyo National Museum, the oldest museum in Tokyo. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. In the northeast corner of Ueno Park is the National Museum of Nature and Science, which offers a wide variety of natural history exhibitions and interactive scientific experiences. And the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum supported by the prefectural government.

Close by the Tokyo National Museum is the Grand Library. Books featured in its hallowed halls are from all over the world and in every language imaginable. It’s the ideal place for knowledge and the local college students and overachieving high schoolers can be found with piles of educational tomes stacked on desks as they study for tests or even just for the sake of learning. The library is also a great place to go if you just want some quiet.

A wonderfully packed bazaar full of stalls selling everything you could possibly imagine. Ameyoko runs the length of Ueno station along the JR Yamanote line tracks all the way to the Okachimachi station. It is a very busy market street with bartering open as an option and very friendly vendors trying to out-shout each other. Ameyoko is most known for the sweets sold (and also how the street got its name, ‘ame’ comes from the sweets that were sold in post-war years).

A charming bookstore nestled into the busy city area of Ueno sits, looking quite small and lonely beside the slightly newer looking YumYum Beans and other boutique shops nearby. Inside, Miyamoto’s is a treasure trove of fine literature, even the new and popular manga can be found! In the very back you can purchase VHS movies, cassette tapes, CDs, and DVDs – but the section is small and shabby looking compared to the many shelves of books surrounding the small, vintage cash register.