Shinobazu-ike

Ueno & Yanesen


A key feature of Ueno-kōen is this large, natural pond, much of which is completely covered with giant lotuses that bloom in summer. Go bird- and botany-spotting on the boardwalk at the pond's southern end. There's also a temple here, Benten-dō (弁天堂), dedicated to Benzaiten, goddess of the waters and patron of the arts

An area of the pond is set aside for row boats (from ¥700 per hour) and swan-shaped paddle boats (¥700 for 30 minutes).

Transportation

  • train: JR Yamanote line to Ueno, Shinobazu exit

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ueno & Yanesen attractions

1. Benten-dō

0.08 MILES

Take a stroll down the causeway leading to the island on which Benten-dō stands. The temple is dedicated to Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of the arts,…

2. Shitamachi Museum

0.1 MILES

This small museum recreates life in the plebeian quarters of Tokyo during the Meiji and Taishō periods (1868–1926), before the city was twice destroyed by…

3. Yokoyama Taikan Memorial Hall

0.14 MILES

Early-20th-century artist Yokoyama Taikan was one of the masters of modern nihonga (Japanese-style painting). Inside his former residence, a traditional…

4. Saigō Takamori Statue

0.17 MILES

Near the southern entrance to Ueno-kōen is this unconventional statue of a samurai walking his dog. Saigō Takamori started out supporting the Meiji…

5. Kiyōmizu Kannon-dō

0.18 MILES

Kiyōmizu Kannon-dō is one of Tokyo's oldest structures: established in 1631 and in its present position since 1694, it has survived every disaster that…

6. Gojōten-jinja

0.19 MILES

This Inari shrine inside Ueno-kōen is most noteworthy for its photogenic succession of torii gates, which form a vermilion tunnel. This feature is typical…

7. Ameya-yokochō

0.25 MILES

One of Tokyo's few remaining open-air markets, Ameya-yokochō got its start as a black market, post-WWII, when American goods (which included ameya – candy…

8. Kyū Iwasaki-teien

0.27 MILES

This grand residence offers a Western-style mansion designed by Josiah Conder in 1896, connected to a Japanese house built by Ōkawa Kijuro at the same…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
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      "url": "japan/tokyo/ueno-and-around/attractions/shinobazu-ike/a/poi-sig/1553198/1323660",
      "destination": "Ueno-&-Yanesen",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Japan",
      "city": "Tokyo",
      "neighborhood": "Ueno-&-Yanesen",
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