Family Travelogue: Ueno Park, Taito, Tokyo, Japan/ FamilyTravelogue 17 March 2016

Our last day of this 2016 Japan trip, we visited the three must see in Tokyo:
Ueno Park
Sensoji-Temple
Tokyo Skytree

Ueno Park

Senso-ji Temple

Tokyo Skytree

We have a separate post detailing our metro transfers from one place to another place where we always had missed our train stops... stops... not just once. And all the troubles we had gone through-managed to get to the boarding area, 15 minutes before the closure. Please click the link, Last day in Tokyo

checked out at 10am and left our luggage at the hotel's storage.

alighted at Ameyoko and early lunch at Tendon Tempura Tenya

Early cherry blossoms at Ueno Park

Ueno Park is the most visited park in Japan located in the Ueno district of Taito, Tokyo, with over 10 million visitors a year. The park is at its busiest in Spring for its cherry blossoms and hanami. Among the 8,800 trees in the park are the over 800 Sakura (cherry trees) that bloom in spring. The park is also filled with museums, temples, shrines, natural attractions and Japan's top schools and important institutions to name a few:

1. Tokyo National Museum
2. Ueno Zoo with the Pagoda inside
3. Hanami- best spot to see the cherry blossoms trees
4. Kiyomizu Temple
5. Bentendo
6. Shinobazu Pond
7. Toshogu Shrine
8. Tokyo University
9. Ueno Daibutsu...

Ueno Park was originally part of the Kaneiji Temple. Latter used to be one of the city's largest and wealthiest temples during the Edo period (1603~1868). It was built north-east of the Edo castle (at present, the Imperial Palace) by the Tokugawa shoguns (soldiers) to guard the castle/ protect from evil spirits. Edo Period was the period when the Japanese were ruled by the Tokugawa clan under the Feudal or Military Government

Edo period ended in May 1868 with the restoration of Meiji Imperial.

In the Ueno Battle during the Boshin war in July 1868, about 2,000 strong and loyal shoguns barricaded Kaneiji Temple with the intention to resist. From there, the shoguns were harassing the imperial troops forcing the imperial side to attack the Kaneiji Temple, outnumbered though. The attack was initiated by alliance of Satsuma and Choshu followed by the Tosa troops who used the Armstrong cannons and Snider guns. The shogunates were defeated, thousands of houses were burnt and almost all the temples were destroyed. There were over 30 buildings before the Boshin War.

We managed to visit two of the surviving temples during our 2016 Japan trip:

1. Kiyomizu Kannondo and
2. Bentendo

Kiyomizu Kannondo Temple

One of the surviving temple building after the Ueno Battle in 1868 is the Kiyomizu Kannondo (or Simizudo) of 1631, It is one of the oldest structures in Tokyo and still in its same old position.

Kiyomizu Kannon-do Temple is the Temple of Pure Water. Mizu means water and kiyo means clear or pure. The temple is the miniature of the famous Kiyomizu dera temple in Kyoto (628AD)

Kiyomizu Kannondo

Kiyomizu Kannon-do is home to Kasodate Kannon, the Goddess of conception

Women who have difficulty conceiving make homeage to the goddess. Those who had their wish fulfilled comes back and donate a doll. The dolls are accumulated and ritually burn in an annual ceremony, every 25 of September.

Chozuya at Kiyomizu Kannondo , Ueno Park, Tokyo

Chozuya or the Purification fountain.
At every temple, there's always a fountain located on the right side. It is in custom to use the provided small ladle to take water to wash our hands and mouth before going inside the temple

Besides the Chozuya is the EMA, a small wooden plaques. When visiting temples or shrines, you can pray by writing your wish on EMA and hang it back on the rack. It is believed the wishes are received by the the Kami (spirits or gods). In the ancient times, horses were being offered as they thought the gods rode horses.

Auspicious rock near the temple.

We did not pull Omikuji fortune at this temple. Should you do and the fortune is not good, tie it up on this rack to get rid off the bad luck.

Chozuya at Kiyomizu Kannondo , Ueno Park, Tokyo

Tomb of Shogitai Warriors

Shogi-tai was an army of the Edo shogunate, which was organized in 1868 to fight against the Emperor at the end of the Edo era. They fought around here on fifteenth of May in the same year. In those days Ueno-no-yama (Ueno bill) was in the precints of Kan-eiji temple (Tokugawa shogunate's family temple), where there were many temples and pagodas. But the battle was so intense that almost all of them were destroyed. The Shogi-tai was defeated by the evening of the day. The fight is called Ueno war or fight of Shogi-tai.

These two tombstones were erected for the Shogi-tai soldiers killed here. The small tomb stone in the front was errected by a priest of Kan-eiji temple in 1869 and the large stone in the back by a survivor, a soldier called Ogawa Okisato and several of his comrades.

These tombstones were registered as important cultural assets in 1990 in the Book of Cultural Assets of Taito City.

***as per written on the information display

Saigo Takamori statue located near the Southern entrance of Ueno Park

Saigo Takamori lived during the late Edo and early Meiji periods (1828~1877). He was one of the most influential samurai back then. His persistence to strip of lands and special status the Tokugawa led to the Boshin War.

Chozuya at Kiyomizu Kannondo , Ueno Park, Tokyo

Bentendo, Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan

Bentendo is a hexagonal temple hall floating in Shinobazu Pond at the southern end of the park. The temple is dedicated to Benten, the goddess of good fortune, wealth, music and knowledge. Bentendo's grounds are surrounded by cherry blossom in spring.

There are many Bentendo temples all over Japan The goddess was originally the personification of a river. Bentendo temple are mostly erected next to some source of water such as river, pond, spring or even the sea.

Small Holy Place around Benten-do Temple

Monument in Memory of Fugu

Monument of Rokusaburo Kineya

Monument of Kengyo Yatsuhashi

Monument of Fan and Ksitigarbha

Benten-do Temple, Ueno, Taito, Tokyo, Japan

Kouro at Benten-do Temple

Kouro at the entrance of Bentendo temple. For 100Yen, take an incense and light it up to refresh your body and mind before getting inside the temple.

EMA at Benten-do Temple, Ueno, Taito, Tokyo, Japan

Shinobazu Pond and the Bentendo Temple

Cormorant Pond

Cormorant Pond is within the Ueno Zoo and cormorant birds are among the birds inhabit the pond.

Shinobazu Pond is a small lake within Ueno Park. Wintering ground for many birds amongst are Tufted duck, Pochard, Pintail, Wigeon, Mallard, Night Heron, Common Gallinule, Great Egret... The pond is natural, modified many times though. In the middle of it is the temple of Bentendo.

The pond is divided into three areas:
Lotus pond
Boat pond and the
Cormorant pond

Boat Pond

Boat Pond is the section where you can rent a swan boat and paddle around the pond. Cycling boats and Row boats are also available for rent.

Shinobazu pond (Lotus pond area)

Lotus pond is covered with lotus plants in summer

Shinobazu pond (Lotus pond area)

Bentendo Temple in the Shinobazu pond (Lotus pond area)

Ueno Business district and Shinobazu pond (Lotus pond area)

Ueno Business district

Business district in Ueno

Cherries have started to bloom. We were 2 weeks earlier. Spring in Japan is school days in Singapore. Our youngest would experience the cherry blossom after JC or Poly school.