We don’t usually visit zoos when we travel, but the Ueno Zoological Gardens (usually just called Ueno Zoo) is home to two Panda Bears. Animals we don’t have in zoos here in the UK. So we decided we had to visit Ueno Zoo so the boys could see them!

Ueno Zoo is located in Ueno Park, and the whole area is packed so full of appealing things to do that you could spend several days here! We spend just one day in Ueno Park and we definitely didn’t even scratch the surface of things to see and do.

What we did notice is that although Ueno Zoo is a popular tourist destination, it seems to be more popular with domestic tourists than with international tourists. But I think it’s a spot worth visiting, especially if you’re travelling with kids!

Planning a trip to Ueno Zoo? Here’s our complete guide:

1. What You Need To Know About Ueno Zoo
2. Ueno Zoo Ticket Prices
3. Seeing the Pandas at Ueno Zoo
4. The Animals At Ueno Zoo
5. The Food at Ueno Zoo
6. Ueno Zoo Opening Hours
7. Shrines in Ueno Zoo
8. Getting There
9. Further Reading

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!

What You Need To Know About Ueno Zoo

Ueno Zoo is home to over 3,000 animals representing approximately 400 different species. It’s most well known for its two pandas (and it’s clearly very proud of them, there are panda signs and merchandise everywhere!)

But you’ll also find other big animals that kids just love here. My boys were totally enamoured by the playful polar bear (splashing in the water), the tall giraffes, and the lazy tiger.

It’s worth noting that Ueno Zoo is divided into two distinct sections: the East Garden and the West Garden. The monorail connecting the two is out of action and undergoing slow renovations, which means you can get between the two areas via a tall bridge (and steep slopes). This might be tough going to navigate with a wheelchair or a heavy buggy. There is a free bus between the two for wheelchair users and disabled passengers: ask about this at the gate.

Ueno Zoo was founded in 1882 and honestly? Some of the enclosures and attractions don’t look much changed since they were first constructed! I’m no expert, but many of the enclosures simply didn’t look big enough for the animals that they had inside. This made me feel a little uncomfortable and disappointed.

I would have loved to see the animals have room to roam. Having said that, there were enrichment opportunities notable in many of the enclosures, and the animals looked well-fed and well-cared for. And the pandas (no doubt because they’re the star attraction of the zoo) both had plenty of space, climbing frames, and even their own pools to cool down in.

But if you don’t feel comfortable with animals in captivity, or worry about the standards that animals are kept in when you visit a zoo, this might be something to consider before you visit.

Ueno Zoo Ticket Prices

I have never been to a zoo anywhere in the world cheaper than Ueno Zoo. I’ve attached the table of ticket prices below, but an overview is that we paid 600 yen (£3.04) per adult and because our boys were both under 12, they went in for free.

You can buy these at the gate, no need to book in advance.

Seeing the Pandas at Ueno Zoo

The pandas are in the Western Garden of Ueno Zoo, so if you enter the park via the main entrance, you’ll have to cross over the bridge to get there. We actually thought this was a really pretty walk, but as I’ve mentioned, speak to staff for an alternative route if you’re disabled or a wheelchair user.

There are two pandas in Ueno Zoo but they are kept in separate enclosures, and each has its own queue. So you can see both of the pandas during your visit, but you will have to queue twice. This is the only exhibit in the zoo with a queue system, which should indicate just how popular seeing the pandas are here.

When we arrived the queue was listed as being 30 minutes long, but we actually only waited 20 minutes. The enclosure is divided into sections, and when you get into it you have a couple of minutes in each section before being moved on, and then finally moved out. It’s a very efficient system, and it did mean we got plenty of time watching the pandas.

Currently, the zoo houses twin pandas, Xiao Xiao (male) and Lei Lei (female), born in 2021. 3 additional pandas (two of which were the twins parents) did live at the zoo, but they were returned back to China in 2023 and 2024. The panda in the pictures above is Lei Lei: we decided we’d rather spend our time seeing some of the other animals in the zoo, rather than queuing for another panda experience.

The Animals At Ueno Zoo

Some of the biggest animals you’ll find at Ueno Zoo include giant pandas, elephants, gorillas, and Sumatran tigers.

The larger animals like the elephants, rhinos, and the pandas are in the west garden. There’s also a fascinating tropical house here packed with turtles, fish, snakes, and other reptiles.

If you love monkeys then you’ll find Japanese macaques, black-handed spider monkeys, and white-mantled colobus monkeys here. Although these were some of the animals I felt had very old enclosures.

Finally it’s worth noting that there are many Japanese native animals in the park. These include Japanese serows, Ezo sika deer, Hokkaido brown bears, and various birds like green pheasants and red-crowned cranes

You can find a full list of the animals at Ueno Zoo here.

The Food at Ueno Zoo

In the East Garden, Ueno Zoo has a ramen shop/restaurant with a great reputation. But we had lunch plans, so we didn’t eat here. We did see other people eating though and the food looked good: there were even panda themed noodles!

On the subject of the panda theme (again!) we did stop for snacks in the outdoor cafe/concessions stand outside the panda enclosure.

The boys had huge shaved ice cups, and we ordered lemon mochi and cherry blossom mochii, which came with real flower petals and the most delicious cherry glaze. I would highly recommend this delicious snack!

Ueno Zoo Opening Hours

We arrived at Ueno Zoo at around 10.30am in April (the middle of the busy cherry blossom season) and we walked straight in – no lines at all. We arrived later than we might usually because we wanted to see some of the shrines in Ueno Park on our way to the zoo – I highly recommend taking this detour.

Ueno Zoo opens from 9.30am – 5pm. Last admission and last ticket sales are at 4pm. So make sure you arrive before 4: but I would recommend arriving before 3pm, because you’re going to need around 2 hours to explore the zoo (even just the highlights real)

Note: Ueno Zoo is closed on Mondays. The exception to this rule? If a Monday is a national holiday then the zoo will open and then close on the next day (Tuesday) instead.

Shrines in Ueno Zoo

Something that you’ll find in Ueno Zoo that you won’t find in many other zoos in the world are beautiful shrines.

Right next to the park entrance (inside the park) you’ll find the five-story pagoda which was erected in 1631 as part of the Ueno Toshogu shrine, which was formerly part of the Kaneiji precinct. You can’t go inside this pagoda but you can walk around it and its gardens, which are truly beautiful. The boys loved playing here.

Then there’s the shrine at Ueno Zoo which is called Ueno Toshogu Shrine, and is actually located within Ueno Park. It’s a Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. This sits in the middle of the zoo (between the two gardens) but as you access it from the park, you don’t need a ticket to visit.

Getting There

There are two different stations you can use to access Ueno Zoo depending on which line is most convenient for you and where you’re travelling from. Ueno Zoo is in Ueno Park, and so most people will arrive into Ueno station (this is what we did). From there it’s around a 7 minute stroll through the park to get to the Main Entry Gate.

Alternatively, you could travel to Keisei Ueno Station which is a 4-minute walk to the Benten Gate (West Garden entrance) on the other side of the zoo.

Most tourists don’t drive in Tokyo (it’s just not needed!) but if you are driving in the city it’s worth noting that there is no parking at Ueno Zoo.

Further Reading

Looking for other family-friendly activities in Tokyo? Please don’t scroll away before you’ve checked out these activities that we highly recommend if you’re in Tokyo with kids:

🏰 Tokyo Disneyland Tips for 2025 – What you need to know before you go from a mum whose been!

🐱 The Ultimate Guide to Sanrio Puroland 2025

🎮Visiting Sega Joypolis Tokyo: The ultimate guide

🧙‍♂️Plan your visit to the Harry Potter Studios tour in Tokyo

🎫 Pokemon Tokyo Experiences and Attractions (Perfect for Pokemon fans!)

🗼 Japan with Kids – Going to the top of the Tokyo Tower

I’d love to know if you’ve been to Ueno Zoo and what you thought about it? I had really mixed feeling about this zoo after we visited. While none of the animals appeared mistreated, some of their enclosured looked far too small to my untrained eye. So I’d love to hear your thoughts? Have you been? Is Ueno Zoo a good zoo or one to be avoided? Tell me what you think!

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!