Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [81]
National Museum of Western Art
The National Museum of Western Art (Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan; Map;5777-8600; www.nmwa.go.jp; 7-7 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku; adult ¥420, student ¥70-130; 9.30am-5.30pm, to 8pm Fri, closed Mon; JR Yamanote line to Ueno, Park exit) has a respectable, though rather indifferently displayed, permanent collection. It frequently hosts special exhibits (admission varies) on loan from other museums of international repute.
Shitamachi Museum
This museum (Map; 3823-7451; 2-1 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku; adult/student ¥300/100; 9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun; JR Yamanote line to Ueno, Hirokōji exit) re-creates life in Edo’s Shitamachi, the plebeian downtown quarter of old Tokyo. Exhibits include a sweet shop, the home and business of a copper boilermaker and a tenement house. Docents are on hand to teach games or help you try on the clothes, making for an engaging hands-on visit.
Ueno Zoo
Established in 1882, Ueno Zoo (Map; 3828-5171; 9-83 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku; adult/student/child ¥600/200/free; 9.30am-5pm Tue-Sun; JR Yamanote line to Ueno, Shinobazu exit) was the first of its kind in Japan. It’s a good outing if you have children; otherwise, it can be safely dropped from a busy itinerary.
Tōshōgū
This shrine (Map; 3822-3455; 9-88 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku; admission ¥200; 9am-4.30pm Dec-Feb, to 5.30pm Mar-Nov; JR Yamanote line to Ueno, Shinobazu exit), like its counterpart in Nikkō, is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified Japan. The shrine, resplendent in gold leaf and ornate details, dates from 1651 and is one of the few extant early-Edo structures, having fortuitously survived Tokyo’s innumerable disasters.
Ameyoko Arcade
This market (Ameya-yokochō; Map; JR Yamanote line to Okachimachi (north exit) or Ueno (Hirokōji exit), Hibiya line to Naka-Okachimachi, exit A5) has a flavour unlike any other market in Tokyo, resembling noisy, pungent markets elsewhere in Asia. It was famous as a black-market district after WWII, and is still a lively outdoor shopping arcade where bargains abound on sneakers, dried squid and shirts emblazoned with Japanese motifs. Look for its big archway sign opposite Ueno station’s south side.
Asakusa
Long considered the heart of old Shitamachi, Asakusa is an interesting, compact neighbourhood to explore on foot. Asakusa’s main attraction is the temple Sensō-ji, also known as Asakusa Kannon-dō. In Edo times, Asakusa was a halfway stop between the city and its most infamous pleasure district, Yoshiwara. Eventually Asakusa developed into a pleasure quarter in its own right, becoming the centre for that most loved of Edo entertainments, kabuki. In the shadow of Sensō-ji a fairground spirit prevailed and a range of secular establishments thrived, from kabuki theatres to brothels.
These days, Asakusa is one of the few areas of Tokyo to have retained the old-fashioned spirit of Shitamachi. Though more a tourist quarter than pleasure district, Asakusa continues to attract crowds not only with the Sensō-ji complex, but also with its bustling marketplaces of Nakamise-dōri, where you can find cheesy souvenirs and fancy geta (wooden sandals), and Kappabashi-dōri, famous for its plastic food models and kitchenware of all kinds.
SENSŌ-JI
This temple (Map; 3842-0181; 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taitō-ku; admission free; 24hr; Ginza or Toei Asakusa lines to Asakusa, exits 1 & A5) enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy), which, according to legend, was miraculously fished out of the nearby Sumida-gawa by two fishermen in AD 628. The image has remained on the spot ever since, through successive rebuildings of the temple; the present structure dates from 1950.
Approaching Sensō-ji from Asakusa subway station, the entrance is via Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate). The gate’s protector gods are Fūjin, the god of wind, on the right; and Raijin, the god of thunder, on the