A giant female panda Shin Shin eats bamboo at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on April 1, 2011. A pair of pandas, leased from China, arrived at Ueno Zoo on February 21, and are now displayed to the public after the zoo closed following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO/TOPSHOTS (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Ueno Zoo

Ueno & Yanesen


Japan’s oldest zoo, established in 1882, is home to animals from around the globe, but the biggest attractions are the giant pandas from China, Rī Rī and Shin Shin. Following several disappointments, the two finally had a cub, Xiang Xiang, in 2017. The zoo includes part of Shinobazu-iku and has a terrace right on the edge for good views. Across the causeway, there's a whole area devoted to lemurs, which makes sense given Tokyoites' general affection for all things cute.


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1. Ueno Tōshō-gū

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This shrine honours Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan; it's the (much smaller) Tokyo counterpart to Nikkō's grand Tōshō-gū. Resplendent in…

2. Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art

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This museum hosts blockbuster shows with art on loan from local and international museums (such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art); you could be…

3. Ueno-kōen

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Best known for its profusion of cherry trees that burst into blossom in spring (making this one of Tokyo's top hanami – blossom-viewing – spots),…

4. Gojōten-jinja

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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…

5. University Art Museum

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Tokyo University of the Arts, commonly known as Geidai, is Japan's top art school. Its collection dates back to 1887 and includes over 28,000 items, a…

6. Kuroda Memorial Hall

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Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924) is considered the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan. This 1928-vintage hall, an annex to Tokyo National Museum,…

7. Kuro-mon

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West of the main gate to Tokyo National Museum is the Kuro-mon (Black Gate), transported from the Edo-era mansion of a feudal lord. You can view the…

8. Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures

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This enchanting gallery, part of the Tokyo National Museum, displays masks, metalwork and sculptures from the temple Hōryū-ji (in Nara Prefecture, dating…