Monday, November 3, 2008

Ueno Park



Ueno Park (上野公園, Ueno Kōen?) is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taito, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the northeast. The temple was destroyed during the Boshin War.

Ueno Park was established through an imperial land grant to the city of Tokyo by Emperor Taishō in 1924. The official name of the park is Ueno Onshi Kōen (上野恩賜公園, Ueno Onshi Kōen?), which can be translated as "Ueno Imperial Gift Park".

A very famous statue of Saigō Takamori walking his dog stands in this park.

Three museums (Tokyo National Museum, The National Science Museum and The National Museum of Western Art) a concert hall, a Toshogu shrine, the Shinobazu Pond with its Benzaiten shrine, and the Ueno Zoo make this area a tourist and recreation area popular with both Japanese and foreigners.

Steam locomotive in front of the National Science Museum.Ueno Park and its surroundings figure prominently in Japanese fiction, including Gan (The Wild Goose) by Mori Ōgai.

Ueno Park is also home to many homeless people.

(source: Wikipedia)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What I am able to see in the photograph shows me that it must be a beautiful place.