Ueno Zoo is Japan's oldest zoo, opened in 1882 inside Ueno Park in north-east Tokyo. It is a compact, inexpensive and easy day out, with gorillas, tigers, elephants, polar bears and many smaller animals spread across two hilly areas joined by a footbridge. For decades Ueno Zoo was best known in Japan as the home of the country's giant pandas, and it remains one of the city's favourite family outings.
Why visit Ueno Zoo
The zoo is right in the middle of one of Tokyo's best cultural districts, so it slots easily into a day of museums, temples and park walks. Entry is cheap by Tokyo standards, the paths are shaded in places, and the mix of big animals and quieter corners suits both young children and adults.
The zoo is split into two parts. The East Garden, near the main gate, has the gorilla and tiger forest areas, elephants, bears and the Japanese macaques of Monkey Mountain. The West Garden, downhill by Shinobazu Pond, holds African animals such as giraffes, zebras and hippos, plus the reptile and amphibian house and the aye-aye forest.
A note on pandas: giant pandas first arrived in 1972 and have been the zoo's headline animals ever since, but they are on loan from China and the line-up changes. The twin pandas born at the zoo were returned to China in early 2026. Check the zoo's official site to find out whether pandas are currently on display before you plan your visit around them.
How to get to Ueno Zoo by metro
The zoo has two main entrances, and which station you use depends on which gate you want.
- Nezu on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line is the closest station to the Ikenohata Gate on the West Garden side, about a 10 minute walk past Shinobazu Pond.
- Ueno station, served by the JR lines and the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines, is the usual way to the Main Gate in the East Garden. From the JR park-side exit, walk through Ueno Park for roughly 5 minutes. From the Tokyo Metro platforms it takes a little longer.
- Keisei Ueno, for trains from Narita Airport, is also a short walk from the park.
Coming in one gate and leaving by the other is a good way to see the whole zoo without walking back uphill.
Ueno Zoo tickets and opening hours
Admission is low, and there are reduced or free rates for children, students and older visitors. The zoo is also free on a few special days each year. It is usually closed one day a week, generally Mondays, with changes around public holidays, and it closes over the New Year period. Check current hours, prices and closures on the official Tokyo Zoo Net website (tokyo-zoo.net). Entry is often handled through ticket machines at the gates, and advance booking has been required at busy times, so look before you go.
Highlights of Ueno Zoo
Gorillas and tigers
The forest-style enclosures for western lowland gorillas and Sumatran tigers in the East Garden let you watch the animals through large windows in a more natural setting.
Monkey Mountain
One of the zoo's oldest exhibits, a rocky hill home to a troop of Japanese macaques. It is easy to spend longer here than you expect.
The old pagoda
Inside the East Garden stands a five-storey pagoda that once belonged to Kan'ei-ji temple, a reminder that Ueno Park was a temple complex long before it was a park.
West Garden animals
Downhill, look for the shoebill, the aye-ayes in their dim nocturnal house, the giraffes and the pygmy hippos.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Weekday mornings are the quietest. Weekends, school holidays and spring cherry blossom season in Ueno Park bring big crowds. Many animals are most active early in the day or before feeding times, so arriving at opening pays off. Allow two to three hours to see both gardens without rushing.
Nearby on the same stop
Ueno Park is full of museums, including the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science, as well as Ueno Toshogu Shrine and the temple on the island in Shinobazu Pond. From Nezu, the old streets of the Yanaka area and Nezu Shrine are a pleasant walk away. Below Ueno station, the Ameyoko market street is good for cheap snacks.
See more near the station on the Ueno Zoo page on Around the Metro, or explore more of the city in our Tokyo subway guide.