Ueno Zoo (Ueno Dobutsuen)

Ueno Zoo (Ueno Dobutsuen) Review

First built in 1882, this is Japan's first zoo. Its two main gardens host an exotic mix of more than 900 species of animals. The deaths of its two giant pandas—Tong Tong and Ling Ling—have left the zoo without a large tourist draw, but the tigers from Sumatra, gorillas from the lowland swamp areas of western Africa, and numerous monkeys, some from Japan, make a visit to the East Garden worthwhile. The West Garden is highlighted by rhinos, zebras, and hippopotamuses, and a children's area. The process of the zoo's expansion somehow left within its confines the 120-foot, five-story Kan-ei-ji Pagoda. Built in 1631 and rebuilt after a fire in 1639, the building offers traditional Japanese tea ceremony services.