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Bucket List: 15 Best Tourist Attractions in Taito City, Japan
Tokyo Metropolis is one of the world’s largest and most populous cities. The city comprises villages, towns, cities, and special wards governed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Special wards are a unique form of a municipality in Japan that exists only in the Tokyo Metropolis. One of the several special wards in Tokyo is Taito or Taito City.
Taito is the smallest among Tokyo Metropolis’ special wards but one of the richest in history and culture. The special ward is known for its nostalgic downtown areas like Asakusa, Ueno, and Yanaka, the esteemed museums of the largest public park in Tokyo, and the giant red lantern at the start of the ward’s famous shopping street. Taito in Tokyo is full of tourist spots to explore, and here are some of our most recommended attractions:
Ueno Park
Ueno Park, which opened to the public in 1873, is one of Japan’s largest and oldest public parks in Japan. The park is famous for the several parks located on its grounds, including Ueno Zoo, Japan’s first zoological garden, Shitamachi Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Tokyo National Museum. There are also various temples around the park, such as Kaneji Temple and the Kiyomizu Kannon Temple. Ueno Park is also a popular site for cherry blossom viewing, with hundreds of cherry trees that bloom along the park’s central pathway during the spring season.
Location: Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 5AM to 11PM, Daily
Entrance Rates: FREE
Shinobazu-no-ike Pond
Shinobazu Pond is divided into three sections; The Lotus Pond is named after the different species of lotus plants that populate the section; the Cormorant Pond, located within Ueno Zoo with several species of rare and exotic birds; and the Boat Pond, where visitors can rent a rowboat or pedal-powered swan and sail around Shinobazu Pond during the cherry blossom season. In the middle of Shinobazu Pond is the Bentendo hall, a small temple dedicated to Benzaiten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan.
Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest among the top-level national museums in Japan. The museum’s displays include an extensive collection of art and archeological artifacts found in Japan.
The museum complex is composed of six different buildings that concentrate on specific fields, each of which are large and holds comprehensive collections to be considered a museum of its own. These include Honkan, which opened in 1938 and exhibits Japanese artwork and cultural and historical artifacts from the ancient times to the 19th century, Hyokeikan which was constructed in 1909 and holds temporary exhibitions, Toyokan with several artworks from across Asia, Heiseikan that holds special exhibitions and Japanese cultures, Horyuji Homotsukan with large collections of religious objects, and the Kuroda Memorial Hall which displays several artworks from Kuroda Seiki, the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan.
Location: 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9:30AM to 5PM, Daily (Last entry until 4:30PM)
Entrance Rates: FREE, Children under 18 years old, Elementary Students, Junior High School Students, High School Students, and Senior Citizens; 500 yen, University Students; 1,000 yen, Adults
Website: tnm.jp
National Museum of Nature and Science
The National Museum of Nature and Science is one of the biggest science museums in Japan, with over 25,000 exhibits and interactive attractions that center around the theme “Human Beings in Coexistence with Nature.” Some of the museum’s main attractions include the preserved remains of Hachiko, the D51 steam engine, a fragment of the Nantan meteorite that hit China in the 16th century, and the 360-degree spherical movie theater, which shows a feature film each month.
Location: 7-20 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9AM to 5PM, Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays (Last entry until 4:30PM); 9AM to 8PM, Fridays, and Saturdays (Last entry until 7:30PM)
Entrance Rates: FREE, Children under 18 years old, Elementary Students, Junior High School Students, High School Students, and Senior Citizens; 630 yen, University Students and Adults
Website: kahaku.go.jp/english
National Museum of Western Art
The National Museum of Western Art was established in 1959 to display Matsukata Kojiro’s collection of French paintings and sculptures. Today, Matsukata’s collection is displayed along with 6,000 works of art from the 14th to 16th centuries (Gothic/Renaissance), 17th century (Baroque), 18th century (Roccoco), 19th and 20th centuries, and modern art. Among the museum’s permanent collection include the works of Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin.
Location: 7-7 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9:30AM to 5:30PM, Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays (Last entry until 5PM); 9:30AM to 8PM, Fridays, and Saturdays (Last entry until 7:30PM)
Entrance Rates: FREE, Children under 18 years old, Elementary Students, Junior High School Students, High School Students, and Senior Citizens; 250 yen, University Students; 500 yen, Adults
Website: nmwa.go.jp/en
Shitamachi Museum
Shitamachi Museum is one of the few museums in Japan that focuses on the lives of ordinary people during Japan’s Taisho Period, a critical point in modern Japanese history. The museum displays a typical street from the Taisho Period, highlighted by replicas of the houses and shops. Most of the items inside each recreated building were donated by members of the public.
Location: 2-1 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9:30AM to 4:30PM, Tuesdays to Sundays
Entrance Rates: 100 yen, Elementary Students, Junior High School Students, High School Students, and University Students; 300 yen, Adults
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Zoo is Japan’s first zoological garden, established in 1882. Home to thousands of animals from hundreds of different species, Ueno Zoo, is populated by rare and endangered animals and animals from abroad, including the first giant pandas from China. Ueno Zoo has also received the “Breeding Award” of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums after successfully breeding Giant pandas, Sumatran tigers, Aye-ayes, and Western gorillas. This practice is to help prevent the extinction of endangered wildlife.
Location: 9-83 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9:30AM to 5PM, Tuesdays to Sundays (Last entry until 4PM)
Entrance Rates: FREE, Children below 12 years old; 200 yen, Students between 13 and 15 years old; 300 yen, Senior Citizens; 600 yen, Adults between 16 and 64 years old
Ueno Tosho-gu Shrine
Ueno Tosho-gu is a Tosho-gu Shinto shrine built in 1627 in honor of the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The military government formed the basis of what became the Edo Period. After major earthquakes and countless wars, the shrine prevailed and remained intact. Today, visitors visit the shrine to pray or experience authentic Edo Period architecture and nature. Surrounding the shrine is the Sukibei Wall, embellished with mythical animals. Located close to the shrine is a Peony Garden built in the 1980s to commemorate the Japan-China friendship.
Location: 9-88 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 9AM to 4:30PM, Daily
Entrance Rates: FREE, Children under 6 years old; 200 yen, Children between 6 and 12 years old; 500 yen, for Adults
Entrance Rates (Peony Garden): 1,100 yen per person
Statue of Saigo Takamori
Saigo Takamori is one of Japan’s most influential and iconic samurais, immortalized by a bronze statue near Ueno Park’s entrance. The bronze statue was built in 1888 with his loyal dog, Tsun, next to him at the same site of Takamori’s last battle. The memorial portrays Takamori and Tsun taking a walk in the park.
Location: Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Ueno Royal Museum
Ueno Royal Museum, which opened in 1972, is the only private museum in Ueno Park. The museum is adorned by bronze statues, stone monuments, and temporary exhibitions hosted regularly. As the name and several stone monuments suggest, some members of the Imperial Family are involved in the museum’s events.
Location: 1-2 Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 10AM to 5PM, Daily (Last entry until 4:30PM)
Asakusa Hanayashiki
Asakusa Hanayashiki, or Hanayashiki, is the oldest amusement park in Japan. The amusement park first opened as a flower park in 1853 before play equipment and exotic animals were added in the following decades. Some of the park’s main attractions include the Roller Coaster, Little Star, Disk “O”, Haunted House, Merry-go-round, Pyong Pyong, and Kid Ninja Yashiki Nin-Nin Park.
Location: 2-28-1, Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Visiting Hours: 10AM to 6PM, Daily
Entrance Rates: 500 yen, Children between 7 and 12 years old and Senior Citizens; 1,000 yen, Adults
Website: hanayashiki.net/en
Kaminarimon Gate
The massive Kaminarimon Gate of the Sensoji Temple is one of Asakusa’s iconic tourist attractions. The gate was initially constructed in 942 A.D. before being transferred to its current location in 1960. The main attraction of the gate is the red lantern hanging in the center with kanji characters inscribed that read “thunder gate.” On the lantern’s side are the statues of the God of Thunder, the Wind God, and the dragon-tailed gods Tenryu and Kinryu. The temple entrance also serves as the start and end of Nakamise Shopping Street.
Location: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Sumida Park
Like Ueno Park, Sumida Park has more than 500 cherry trees and is famous for cherry blossom viewing. Located along the Sumida River that extends over Taito and Sumida ward, the entire stretch of the river explodes in pink on either side. In the summer, the park becomes the site for one of Japan’s biggest fireworks festivals. The park is home to the Ushijima Shrine, a Shinto shrine constructed in the year 860, a Japanese garden made from the remains of the Mito Tokugawa family’s residential house from the Edo period, and plenty of green space that are often the venue for events.
Location: Hanakawado, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Nakamise Shopping Street
The Nakamise Shopping Street is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan. The shopping street is headed by the Kaminarimon Gate of the Sensoji Temple. Filled with various stalls that have been run by the same families for several generations, the shopping street is a great place to experience old-school Tokyo right in the heart of Asakusa. The various stalls and shops offer a variety of products, from chopsticks, fans, and traditional clogs to yokan sweets, arare soybean biscuits, and rice crackers.
Location: 1-36-3 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Yanaka Ginza
Another of old-school Tokyo’s old shopping streets, Yanaka Ginza is regarded as the quintessential shitamachi shopping street in Yanaka District. The nostalgic ambiance of the street is reminiscent of the old town atmosphere that strives there. Like Nakamise Shopping Street, Yanaka Ginza has a variety of stalls that sell unique specialty items, from groceries and produce to traditional clothes. Yanaka Ginza is best viewed from the Yuyake Dandan steps or the Sunset Stairs, a 36-step climb with magnificent views of the entire shopping street.
How to get there
The best way to get to and around Taito is through the bullet train or the Shinkansen. Taito’s major transportation hub is Ueno Station, connecting passengers with the Yamanote Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. Other ways to get to Tokyo is by plane, into Haneda Airport or Narita Airport, and from there, an airport bus or pre-booked taxi. Visitors should bring cash as most ATMs in Tokyo don’t accept international cards.
Taito City Travel and Tour Packages
Check out our list of affordable Taito City hotels and resorts via Agoda, and Booking, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.
Also read:
- Things To Do In Hokkaido, Japan
- Ultimate List Of The Best Hotels In Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Budget Travel Guide
- The Top 10 Best Boutique Hotels In Tokyo, Japan
- 7 Reasons Why Japan Should Be On Your Wander-List
