Ueno Park
上野恩賜公園
Tokyo's largest and most-visited city park, built on former temple grounds and featuring museums and spring cherry blossom viewing.
Ueno Park is a large public park located in the Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1873, it was one of the country's first public parks and was created as part of Japan's early Meiji period, where they were borrowing and adapting international practices. With numerous museums and stunning cherry blossom views during spring, the park attracts over ten million visitors annually, making it the most popular city park in Japan.
The park was built on lands that once belonged to the Kan'ei-ji temple, which was founded in 1625 in an unlucky direction northeast of Edo Castle. During the Boshin War in 1868, most of the temple buildings were destroyed, but some survived and are now considered Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The park was proposed by Dutch doctor Bauduin after the site was considered for a medical school or hospital.
In 1873, Ueno Park was established along with several other parks in Tokyo and was initially administered by different government agencies. In 1924, it was presented to the city by Emperor Taishō and was renamed Ueno Onshi Kōen, meaning "Ueno Imperial Gift Park."
