Ueno
Tokyo’s working-class neighborhood
Ueno is one of Tokyo’s largest quarters, located to the north-east of the city center, in the Taito district.
It is also one of the city’s central hubs, as it is served by major railroad lines. If you have a JR Pass, and even if you don’t, chances are that, when you are headed north out of Tokyo, to Nikko for example where Narita airport is located, the train 🚅 will take you through Ueno.
Because of this, this quarter is often considered as an important shitamachi zone (“the sub-city”), the most working class and probably the least clean part of Tokyo. You can see many homeless people there, a sharp contrast to most other parts of the city.
There are many interesting shows to see in Ueno, generally organized in and around the large park located within a short distance of the train station. The quarter is home to many different environments and you may experience various contrasting and fascinating atmospheres within a few meters of each other.