Tokyo City Guide: – Ueno & Akihabara

Discover the blend of local life and eclectic scene in Ueno and Akihabara, Tokyo! Ueno and Akihabara, two contrasting districts from the serene Ueno Park and Ameyoko Market to the bustling streets of Akihabara’s electronic district. Immerse yourself in a world where ancient temples live in hidden allies by the train tracks then move to a futuristic- like mecca. Explore the captivating contrasts of Tokyo’s districts.

Transportation >>

Tours & Tickets >>

Things to do >>

Where to eat? >>

UENO: To get to Ueno you’ll need to get off at Keisei Ueno Station. You’ll need an Japan transit card card like SUICA or PASMO or day subway tickets. You can get a physical SUICA card at klook.com. I purchased my SUICA Card and JR pass with KLOOK.COM

AKIHABARA: There are three Akihabara stations but you’ll want to get off at the JR Akihabara Station.

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Ameyoko Market is a shopping street has everything you’ll need from cosmetics to clothes and souvenirs. Ameyoko has amazing street food in Ueno. With over 400 shops Ameyoko Market Its huge and overwhelming but a fun place to just walk around.

Ameyoko Shopping Street

10 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan

In the middle of all the hustling of Ameyokocho there is a calming and relaxing temple. It enshrines Marishiten, a buddhist guardian goddess.

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You’ll see lots of pigs images since Marishiten is usually seen sitting down on top of a pig. There are also Ema, wooden plaques where people write wishes and prayers right next to the omikuji, the fortune telling paper strips. I tied my bad luck fortune here…Bye Bye bad luck!

Marishiten Tokudaiji Temple

4 Chome-6-2 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005

My first stop was at a Korean shop to try their famous Arirang hotdogs. It was sooo good and cheesy! You should roll the hotdog in coconut sugar and then top it with all the sauces. I very naively added only ketchup but quickly got prompted to add EVERY SAUCE … and it got even better!

Arirang Hotdog – 4 Chome-6 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005

After walking a bit go for Gyukatsu. Oh my! The meat was glorious! What you see here is not water…it’s the elixir of life…BEEF JUICES! Gyukatsu are beef cutes deep fried. Here they serve them medium rare and then you broil them over a stone plate. Hear the music it comes out of them? The cutlets are incredibly juicy.

Gyukatsu Motomura Ueno

 〒110-0005 Tōkyō-to, Taito City, Ueno, 4-chōme−10−１７ 手塚ビル２F

To burn those calories go Ueno Park. It’s just a few minute walk from Ameyokocho and there are festivals held by the fountain! There was a pottery festival happening while I visited! Sit down by the fountain you’ll see interesting people there. I saw a guy just talking his monkeys for a walk and huge crows.

Ueno Onshi Park

 〒110-0007 Tōkyō-to, Taito City, Uenokōen, 8,

Akihabara, also known as the Otaku Mecca is an the electric district specialized in anime and Otaku culture, maid cafes and video games. You’ll get a sensory overload while walking down the neon-lit streets! If you are an anime fan this will be heaven for you! Every corner you turn there’s a gamin, anime store. I am an anime fan and have watched over 200 different one!! I was so pleased to find out the stores had whole floors dedicated for girls. Sadly most of it was in Japanese but I enjoyed all the images. Here is a list of the anime stores:

Akihabara has appeared in many of our loved animes. And here you can find 3 spots that inspired Steins; Gate anime scenes. You can find them in this map by Otaku in Tokyo!

End the day with a Pablo mini cheese cake tart. Oh man did they delivered! It was like bitting into a cloud and the vanilla flavor was just perfect. You can’t leave Tokyo without trying one of these! It’s a must!

Akihabara is a great district for affordable hostels! I did all my bookings in Japan with Agoda.com.