Ueno Zoo: Animals from All Over the World Can be Seen Here!

Ueno Zoo, in Ueno Park, has the highest amount of visitors of any zoo in Japan.

At present Ueno zoo houses around 500 species of animals. These species include Japan-native animals such as the Yezo deer and the Lidth's Jay, but also has animals like pandas, okapi and aye-aye, which are not often seen even in overseas zoos. For this reason, Ueno zoo is a popular destination for foreign visitors as well.

Let's Go To Ueno Zoo!

Ueno Zoo has two entrances: the East Garden Main Gate and West Garden Ikenohata gate. This time we will show you how to buy a ticket from the East Garden Main Gate next to Ueno Park, which is easily accessed from Ueno Station on the JR Line, or Tokyo Metro Subway Hibiya and Ginza lines.

On the left side of the front gate there is a reception area where you can purchase tickets. During crowded times, we recommend purchasing tickets from the ticket machine on the right as the process is much smoother.

This is the ticket machine. The default screen is set to Japanese, but if you press the "English" or "Chinese" buttons you can change it to the respective language.

Entry Fee

Entry to the zoo varies according to age and group size as listed below.

Individual
Adult　600 yen　65 years+　300 yen　Middle school student 200 yen

Group (20 people+)
Adult　480 yen　65 years+　240 yen　Middle school student 160 yen

The zoo is open from 9:30 until 17:00. However, ticket purchase and park entry close at 4pm.

Let's Go See The Animals, Map in Hand!

Around the entrance to the zoo there are maps in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. They're free, so take one and you won't miss a single animal!

Two-to-three hours will pass by in the blink of an eye if you take your time seeing every animal If you are pressed for time, we recommend giving the map a look and deciding which animals you want to see ahead of time.

Reference Article: 8 Animals You Absolutely Must See At Ueno Zoo!

Animals of the East Garden

The zoo is divided into East and West gardens, which are then further divided into even more areas.
*Note that entrance to both the East and West parts of the zoo are covered by the same ticket.

The East Garden features the Japanese Animals, Gorilla Woods, Tiger Forest, Elephant Forest, Bear Hill, Polar Bear, and Seal Ocean areas. We recommend the Japanese Animals section for foreign tourists.

The Star of the East Garden: The Panda

If you think of Ueno Zoo, pandas spring to mind. The cages for the two pandas, Ri Ri and Shin Shin, are always inundated with visitors wanting to see them.

Travel from East to West Garden Made Easy

Once you're done with the East Garden, it's time to move to the West Garden. While it is by no means a long walk, there is a monorail joining the east and west sections of the zoo. It is particularly useful when traveling with children or seniors.

Purchase a Ticket at the Ticket Machine

A monorail ticket costs 150 yen.

Seats are not reserved, but to make things easy for everyone, make sure to fill in seats from the back.

Animals of the West Garden

The West Garden contains the Small Mammal House, Amphibious Reptile House (Vivarium), Aye-aye Forest, Children's Zoo, Giraffe and Hippopotamus Area and Shinobazu Pond. It primarily contains African animals and amphibians.

Let's Pet Animals at the Children's Zoo!

The part of the zoo most popular with children is the Children's Zoo, where you can directly pet the animals. You can also feed sheep, cows, horses, rabbits and chickens!

Don't Forget Souvenirs!

How about you bring home a souvenir to remember your time at Ueno Zoo? Souvenirs featuring pandas are particularly popular.

So how was your look at Ueno Zoo, the zoo with the most visitors in all of Japan? You can see Japanese animals, aye-ayes, okapi, pandas, and tons of other rare animals. Come and see some cute and rare animals while you're visiting Ueno!

Information

Ueno Zoo

Address: 9-83 Uenokouen, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 9:30-17:00
Closed: Mondays (in the event that a public holidays falls on Monday, the zoo will close on the following day)
-New Years Holidays (December 29-January 1)
*The zoo will occasionally open on Mondays

Map Languages: English, Chinese, Korean
Closest Station: To the East Garden Main Gate
-5 minute walk from JR Ueno Station (Park Entrance Exit)
-10 minute walk from Keisei Line Ueno Station
-12 minute walk from Tokyo Metro Ginza/Hibiya Line Ueno Station (Exit 7)
-15 minute walk from Toei Subway Oedo Line Okachimachi Ueno Station (Exit A5)
To the West Garden Ikenohata Gate
-5 minute walk from Tokyo Metro Nezu Station (Exit 2)

Telephone: 03-3828-5171
Website：Ueno Zoo