Is Ueno a good place to stay in Tokyo?

Ueno is a good base if you want museums, parks and good-value hotels with excellent transport. Ueno Park and its museums are a short walk from the station, the Yamanote line runs to Tokyo Station and Akihabara, and the Skyliner from Keisei Ueno is the quickest way to Narita. It suits families, museum lovers and travellers who want to be close to Asakusa and old Tokyo.

The area mixes culture with street life. Ueno Park has the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the zoo and Shinobazu Pond with its lotus leaves and temple, while the Ameyoko market under the tracks is a noisy jumble of food stalls, fishmongers, izakayas and shops. A short walk north-west, the quiet lanes of Yanaka and its Yanaka Ginza shopping street feel like a different, older city.

The downside is that the streets around the station are busy and a little rough around the edges, with pachinko parlours and late-night bars near Okachimachi. Ueno is quieter than Shinjuku or Shibuya at night, and you'll take the train to Shibuya, Harajuku and the west side of the city.

What makes Ueno special is how much it packs into a small area. You can spend a morning among Japanese treasures at the Tokyo National Museum, walk through the park to Shinobazu Pond, eat at a standing bar in Ameyoko and be on the Skyliner to Narita the next day.