Ueno Imperial Grant Park, Metropolitan park in Tokyo, Japan
Ueno Imperial Grant Park is a large urban park in Taito ward, combining lakes, museums, a zoo, and several shrines within wooded grounds. Paths wind between old trees and connect cultural institutions with resting areas that spread over gentle slopes and flat shorelines.
The grounds were part of a Buddhist temple until the 1860s, when civil war destroyed most buildings. The government converted the land into a public green space in 1873, leaving a few religious structures in place.
The Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Western Art, and Metropolitan Art Museum form a significant concentration of Japanese cultural institutions.
The park stays open all day and night, though individual facilities such as the zoo keep their own hours. Spring brings large crowds for the blossoms, so early morning or late afternoon visits work better.
A shallow pond near the center divides into three water sections depending on the season, with shifting lotuses and water lilies. The ducks and herons nesting there have grown used to daily walkers and often stay within sight of the paths.
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