Best Ueno Walking Tours, Tokyo, Japan 2024
Ueno, located in Taito Ward, Tokyo, is famous for its zoo, museums, lush parks, and the drinking district under the elevated railway. Ueno Park, home to Ueno Zoo and the National Museum, along with Ameyoko, a shopping and gourmet street, attracts tourists and locals daily.
Ameyoko is one of Tokyo's premier drinking districts. It boasts nationally popular famous stores and numerous hidden gems known only to insiders.
Moreover, Ueno is part of Tokyo's shitamachi (downtown) area. Its retro streetscape and atmosphere are also reasons for its popularity.
You can enjoy shopping and bar-hopping in Ameyoko, or appreciate art and rich nature in Ueno Park. There are various ways to enjoy the area. It's also close to popular tourist spots like Asakusa and Akihabara, making it a common area for combined sightseeing.
This time, we'll introduce Ueno walking tours that allow you to fully enjoy the charms of Ueno and its surroundings. We've compiled food tours where you can enjoy izakayas (Japanese-style bars) and tours that let you experience the nature of Ueno Park. Please use this as a reference for your Ueno sightseeing.
5 Recommended Ueno Walking Tours to Enjoy the Izakaya District "Ameyoko"
Ueno Bar hopping & Food crawl Local shopping street Walking Tour!
Source: Tripavisor
This Ueno walking tour allows you to visit bars and restaurants in Ameyoko, Ueno's retro dining district, with a fun guide. You'll visit two traditional izakayas loved by locals and one ramen shop.
The highlight of this tour is meeting unique and highly communicative guides. Feel free to participate as if you're meeting friends. You're sure to have a great time in Ueno's izakayas.
If a woman is participating alone, a female guide can accompany her upon request.
The guides are particularly knowledgeable about alcohol and entertainment. Be sure to ask them about recommended night spots and tips for enjoying a fun night in Tokyo.
The meals and drinks enjoyed during the tour are included in the tour fee, but please note that additional orders at restaurants are not included.
- Meeting point: In front of Starbucks Atré Ueno Store, 1F Atré Ueno, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Ueno Station, Ameyoko
- Start time: 11:30~18:30
All-You-Can-Drink Bar Hopping Tour in Ueno
This Ueno walking tour takes you to two izakayas and a restaurant in Ameyoko, Ueno. The cost of meals and drinks is included in the tour fee, so you can participate without bringing anything.
On this tour, you can enjoy restaurants that only locals and food connoisseurs know about. First, enjoy local street food loved by locals. Furthermore, the gourmet-savvy guide will take you to hidden bars and izakayas in Ueno.
You can also experience the popular all-you-can-drink system in Japanese izakayas. You can drink as much alcohol as you like for a fixed fee within a time limit.
At the end of the tour, you'll also stop by a ramen shop. In Japan, there's a culture called "shime" (closing), where people often eat ramen as a palate cleanser after drinking. By enjoying ramen as the shime, you'll gain a deeper understanding of Japanese food culture.
Please note that vegetarian menu options are limited at the restaurants visited on this tour. Also, they cannot accommodate gluten-free menus.
- Meeting point: Poleya Square, 7-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Around Ueno Station, Ameyoko
- Start time: 17:00~18:00
Secret Food Tours Tokyo w/ Private Tour Option
Source: Viator
This is a private Ueno walking tour where you can deeply experience Ueno's food culture with your own dedicated guide. You'll visit 9 gourmet spots in Ueno and enjoy 6 dining experiences.
The charm of this tour is that you can visit places that are usually not accessible to foreign tourists. You can enjoy the best sushi and gyoza, as well as yakitori at izakayas, croquettes, and matcha-flavored ice cream.
Your dedicated guide, who knows Japanese food culture inside out, will explain about the dishes and ingredients. Also, while walking around eating, if time allows, they will guide you to temples and parks in Ueno.
Feel free to ask the guide anything, from food culture to the history of the town. This tour is highly recommended for those who want to thoroughly experience and learn about Ueno's deep food culture.
Up to 15 people can participate in the tour. Infants can also participate in this tour, but please note that they need to be properly seated on their guardian's lap.
- Meeting point: Ueno Station, 7 Chome Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo
- Tour area: Around Ueno area
- Start time: 11:00
Eat and Drink Like a Local: Tokyo Ueno Food Tour
Source: Viator
This Ueno walking tour allows you to enjoy local meals and drinks loved in Ueno. 5 dishes and 5 drinks are included in the tour.
On this tour, you can visit izakayas that locals really frequent. There, you can enjoy sashimi, yakitori, and grilled fish. You can also have casual interactions with locals at two lively izakayas. As it's a small group tour, the guide will properly translate even detailed conversations.
The standing bars in Ueno, which are particularly popular among alcohol lovers, are fun places to communicate with people around you. Enjoy the night in Ueno, which is also attractive as a hidden night spot.
As it's a tour that provides an intimate experience with a small group, the maximum number of participants is 14. Also, unfortunately, due to the shops visited and the roads, it's a tour that's difficult for wheelchair users to participate in, so please understand.
- Meeting point: In front of Starbucks Atré Ueno Store, 1F Atré Ueno, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Around Ueno area
- Start time: 11:00
Tokyo: Locals´ Secret Food Tour // Food&Drinks Included!
Source: Tripadvisor
This Ueno walking tour allows you to taste the most recommended sushi and gyoza in Ueno. You'll visit a sushi restaurant, a gyoza restaurant, and an izakaya, and finally visit a ramen shop.
The highlight of this tour is that you can enjoy the best sushi in Ueno. You'll visit a locally popular sushi restaurant that uses fresh seafood. After the sushi restaurant, enjoy gyoza, a dish specially loved in Japan.
Finally, enjoy yakitori and beer or chuhai at an izakaya. The izakayas you visit have many flavors of chuhai. If you're interested, try Japan-specific flavors like green tea sour or yuzu sour.
This food tour is recommended for those who love Japanese food and want to fully enjoy it with alcohol. Anyone can participate, but drinking is only for those 20 years old and above, which is the legal drinking age in Japan. Also, please note that it's a small group tour with a maximum of 4 participants.
- Meeting point: Atré Ueno Seventh Street 1F, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Around Ueno Station, Ameyoko
- Start time: 11:30 or 18:00
2 Recommended Ueno Walking Tours to Enjoy the Nature of Ueno Park
From Asakusa: Old Tokyo, Temples, Gardens and Pop Culture
Source: Viator
This is a Ueno walking tour where you can explore the eastern Tokyo area, including Asakusa and Ueno, while learning about culture and etiquette. Starting from Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, you'll tour around the Ueno area, Akihabara, and Koishikawa Garden with hundreds of years of history.
As it's a customizable tour, you can freely choose your destinations in the Ueno area.
Ueno has many attractions. Especially Ueno Park, which gathers vast nature and cultural facilities. On this tour, you can enter the National Museum, a representative museum of Japan. It's also recommended to leisurely stroll through Ueno Park with its rich nature.
This tour is perfect for those who want to comprehensively learn about the culture and history of the eastern area of Tokyo. As it's a tour that walks around a wide outdoor area, the tour is only conducted in good weather. Also, as you'll be walking a lot, please participate in comfortable clothes.
- Meeting point: 1-1-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara, Korakuen
- Start time: 08:30 or 13:30
Tokyo Private Guided Customized Tour with a Casual Guide
Source: Tripadvisor
This is a private Ueno walking tour where you can choose your favorite destinations from all over Tokyo and explore them with a guide. Of course, you can choose Ueno as your destination. Furthermore, you can customize in detail where in Ueno you want to focus on sightseeing.
The recommended plan is to leisurely enjoy nature in the vast Ueno Park. Ueno Park is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves. At Shinobazu-no-ike, the symbolic pond of the park, you can see lotus flowers and enjoy the coolness by the water. Strolling or having a picnic with light snacks are also popular ways to spend time.
If you want to enjoy Tokyo's nature rather than bustling downtown areas, a stroll in Ueno Park is highly recommended. Try to spend a relaxing time asking the guide about the best ways to enjoy Ueno Park on this private tour.
The tour uses public transportation, not cars. If you wish for light meals, please note that the cost of light meals is not included in the tour fee.
- Meeting point: Pick-up from hotels on the list or your desired location in Tokyo
- Tour area: All over Tokyo
- Start time: 09:00 or 10:00
"The Original Free Walking Tour Of Tokyo" including Ueno is also recommended
Source:Tripadvisor
This is a Ueno walking tour that covers Ueno, Asakusa, Kanda, and Akihabara in Tokyo. Participation is free, and it's a tip-based tour for guides.
This tour is recommended if you want to get general information about the culture and history of Ueno and Asakusa areas. The Ueno area is packed with both new and old charms of Tokyo. Asakusa has flourished as the center of Tokyo for hundreds of years. Ueno became the center of transportation and culture after the modernization revolution 150 years ago.
Including Akihabara, famous for anime and game culture, these are very important areas for Tokyo's culture and history. It's also recommended to participate at the beginning of your Tokyo sightseeing to gain general knowledge about Tokyo.
Unique local guides will do their best to provide information and experiences. Participation is free, but if you're satisfied with the guide's guidance, please give them a tip.
- Meeting point: Atré Ueno Seventh Street 1F, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Around Ueno Station, Ameyoko
- Start time: 09:00~19:00
3 Recommended Ueno Walking Tours to Enjoy the Surrounding Areas
Tokyo Tsukiji Food & Culture 6hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Source: Viator
This is a private Ueno walking tour where you can explore Tokyo's food culture in areas including Toyosu, Tsukiji, Ueno, and Asakusa. You can pick your favorite places from the prepared destinations according to your interests.
The charm of this tour is that it's a customized special tour. You can enjoy and learn about Tokyo's complex food culture. Choose your favorite places from destinations like Toyosu Market and Tsukiji Market, famous as fish markets; Ameyoko in Ueno and Asakusa with many temples and shrines; and Tsukishima or Yanaka Ginza, which retain the retro downtown food culture. The guide will explain about the food culture based on deep knowledge for each place.
Especially Tsukiji and Toyosu, where professional fishermen gather, can become even more interesting places with proper guidance from a knowledgeable guide. This tour is highly recommended for those who want to thoroughly explore interesting areas around Ueno.
Please note that this is a walking tour and there is no car pickup or transportation.
- Meeting point: Choose from the list
- Tour area: Toyosu, Tsukiji, Ueno, Asakusa, Tsukishima, Yanaka Ginza
- Start time: 08:00~12:00
Asakusa Cultural Walk & Matcha Making Tour
This Ueno walking tour explores the streets of Asakusa and includes an experience of making matcha in a traditional tea room. After visiting the famous Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, try making matcha yourself in a Japanese tea room.
The highlight of this tour is that you can learn more deeply about Japanese and Tokyo downtown culture through cultural experiences. The matcha-making experience uses the highest grade of matcha. Feel the quietness of the tea room, which is completely different from the bustling Sensoji Temple and streets of Asakusa.
Also, for lunch, you can eat monjayaki, a staple gourmet of the downtown area. Monjayaki, made with flour and water, needs to be cooked by yourself. Be sure to ask the guide for tips on how to make it and try to master it.
Through cultural experiences, you can enjoy the charm of Asakusa that you can't taste in just sightseeing. As the tour ends in the early afternoon, it's also recommended to extend your trip to Ueno sightseeing after the tour.
Asakusa is a fun town, but it's always crowded. Also, as Japan has high humidity, you need to be careful of sweat and heat stroke on hot days in summer, spring, and autumn. Make sure to take precautions before starting the tour.
- Meeting point: In front of Kaminarimon Police Box, Asakusa Police Station, 1-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Asakusa
- Start time: 11:00
Akihabara Anime & Gaming Adventure Tour
This is a Ueno walking tour where you can experience Akiba culture, famous for anime, games, and maid cafes. On the tour, you'll first walk around the streets of Akihabara, then visit a maid cafe where staff dressed in maid costumes provide cute service. Play the gacha game where you can win mini toys, and see the unique vending machines in Akihabara.
The highlight of this tour is that it's a flexible Akihabara tour that can be adapted to you. If you're a fan of a specific anime, the guide might help you find merchandise.
If you want to learn about the culture in general, tell the guide so. The guide will explain about Akihabara culture and provide experiences according to your interests and level of knowledge.
Akihabara, close to Ueno, is a recommended spot to visit along with Ueno sightseeing. If you want to thoroughly enjoy Akihabara, taking your time, please participate in this tour.
Please note that the maid cafe to be visited may change depending on the situation and circumstances of the shop.
- Meeting point: 1-17-6 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Akihabara
- Start time: 14:00