subway
If you haven’t been here, you may not have heard of Ueno, but I think it’s highly underrated. It’s the stop at which I transfer to the Yamanote line, which is the subway line that circles the entire city (its green, which is important to remember). The Yamanote line will become your new best friend. You can get close to if not into every city district via this line. Also, the line maps have English glossing and the announcers call in English after the Japanese, for those of you who are a little shaky with the language. Personally, I like it because it has TV inside. At any rate, I reach this line via Ueno, which is at the northern end of the Yamanote circle.
Ueno Station, for you diehard fans, is where the Hard Rock café is located. Yes, I’ve been there, and yes, the burgers are still effing delicious. If you ever need a taste of home, the Hard Rock is always good for it. The station houses a number of shops and restaurants, for those just passing through. I have found that while I know the station by now, it’s difficult to navigate when looking for something particular. Your best bet is to follow the signs, which will have English and are color coded by line, or to ask for directions. The station staff are generally helpful, but there is also a little cop-in-a-box (koban) if you feel like going for it.
For those not just passing through, Ueno has a great street market, called the Ameyayokocho Black Market (not really a black market, although it used to be). You can spend hours wandering the alleys. You’ll find everything from clothing to food to fortune tellers here. Just keep close watch on your wallet; because of the crowded streets, pickpockets have been known to strike here.
In the general vicinity is a post office (this is a NECESSITY, you can only get money out of an ATM with an American card at post offices and Citibanks), as well as OI City (read Marui City) which is a great but kind of pricy department store. If you’re packing cash, unlike myself, don’t miss it. If you want to check out a great toy and game store, for souvenirs or for yourself, there’s a huge place called Yamashiroya just down the street from OI City. Right next to Yamashiroya is a narrow entranceway to a place called U2, which has really cool clothing that’s just a little Japan-inspired, for things that you will later be asked where to buy and find yourself proud to say you got in Japan.
There’s a building a few blocks from the station that looks as though it had been lifted from Las Vegas, with the 777 in large neon numbers across the top. Go there. It’s a seven story arcade, with everything from virtual reality games to claw machines and purikura booths. It also houses a karaoke places I highly recommend, which is Hawaii-themed and has the best selection of music out of all the places I’ve been to. You can stay as long as you like/can afford and order drinks and food via remote control, and the booths hold up to 8—EXCELLENT place to take a friend for a birthday.
After that, Ueno is famous for Ueno Park*, which is the oldest in the city and said to have really gorgeous cherry blossoms, though I haven’t seen them yet. There are also some great museums, pagodas, temples and a fair-sized zoo in the park area, so give it a go. The Symphony plays at the nearby Culture Hall, and the National museum can’t be missed.
* As with most of the places I’m going to talk about, Ueno has some things that you need to be alert about and prepared for. While Ueno Park is akin to Central Park and quite lovely, it’s also the place that the city bums make their home. And I mean all of them. You need to be prepared for a small city built of blue tents. These people will not bother you at all. Tokyo has, I daresay, the best bums in the world. Many have jobs, and they all go around picking up all the garbage off the streets to turn in for extra money. They’re like the unofficial city janitors, and keep very much to themselves. It may be a little creepy, but so long as you’re not going around doing things to provoke them, you don’t have anything to worry about.
