Ueno

Ueno was a place of prominence long before the coming of the railroad. Since Ieyasu Tokugawa established his capital here in 1603, 36 subsidiary temples were erected surrounding the Main Hall, and the city of Edo itself expanded to the foot of the hill where the main gate of the Kan-ei-ji temple once stood.

The Meiji government turned Ueno Hill into one of the nation's first public parks. It would serve as the site of trade and industrial expositions; it would have a national museum, a library, a university of fine arts, and a zoo. The modernization of Ueno still continues, but the park is more than the sum of its museums. The Shogitai warriors failed to take everything with them: some of the most important buildings in the temple complex survived or were restored and should not be missed.