Page 52 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

50  T OK Y O AREA B Y AREA

1 Ueno Park
Ueno Park
Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, built the Kanei-ji temple
and subtemples here in the 17th century to negate evil spirits
that might threaten from the northeast. Judging by how long
the Tokugawas lasted, it was a wise move. In 1873, five years
after the Battle of Ueno, when the last supporters of the
shogun were crushed by imperial forces, the government Boating on the Shinobazu pond
designated Ueno a public park. A favorite since its earliest days,
the park has figured in many popular wood-block prints and
short stories. Shinobazu Pond (actually three ponds) is an
annual stop for thousands of migrating birds. Several museums
and temples are dotted around the park, and Japan’s oldest
zoo, which is also one of the country’s best, is here.
. Pagoda
This landmark five-story
pagoda dates from the 17th Ueno Zoo
century and is a survivor from
the original Kanei-ji temple
complex. Today it stands in
the grounds of Ueno Zoo,
a popular destination for
Japanese schoolchildren,
among others, thanks to its
giant pandas.

. Tosho-gu Shrine
This ornate complex of halls is one of
Tokyo’s few remain ing Edo-era structures.
Ieyasu was enshrined here and later
reburied at Nikko (see pp100–101).

KEY
1 Shitamachi Museum (see p56)
2 Gojoten shrine is reached Benten Hall
through a series of red torii (gates).
3 The Great Buddhist Pagoda
was built in 1967.
4 The Tokyo Metropolitan Art
Museum has a large collection of Shinobazu Pond
contemporary Japanese art.
5 Tokyo National Museum
(see pp52–5)
6 The main walkway is lined
with hundreds of cherry trees.
Ueno
7 The Tomb of the Shogi Tai is Station
dedicated to the many samurai who
died in the 1868 Battle of Ueno.

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