Great museums in a park, then lanes of temples, wooden houses and cats: the part of Tokyo that feels like a town.
Ueno Park holds the Tokyo National Museum, Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art and the zoo, which no longer has pandas.
Just north, Yanaka came through earthquake and war largely intact. It has about seventy temples, a cemetery under cherry trees, and the Yanaka Ginza shopping street with its "sunset steps" and resident cats.
To the west, Nezu Shrine has a tunnel of small red torii and a hillside of azaleas in April.
Start with the morning set at Kayaba Coffee. The museums close on Mondays.
Museum in the morning, lanes in the afternoon.
Egg sandwich and coffee in a 1930s house.
The Tokyo National Museum for Japanese art and treasures.
Wander the quiet lanes and the cherry avenue.
Walk through the red gates on the hillside.
Snacks on the street and the view from the steps.
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JR Ueno or Nippori stations; Nezu and Sendagi on the Chiyoda line.
Most Ueno museums close on Mondays; shrines and temples are open daily.
Ueno Park is packed for cherry blossom; Yanaka's cemetery is the quieter choice.
Tokyo practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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