Japan is one of the most attractive countries and in the world, with its cherry blossoms, or sakura, described as the "tiny pink flower". Ueno Park is one of the top places in Japan to see the sights of these blossoms. Because of Ueno Park's cherry blossoms, it is the most popular city park. Ueno Park is located in Tokyo, in the Ueno district of Taitō. This large public park is spaciously big, being 538 500m2 big and capacious with 10 million people visiting each year.
Cherry blossoms usually bloom in Spring which is the Hanami Festival is celebrated, starting in March, then ends after April. Ueno Park is one of the top viewing spots when the festival is in season, the other places are Shinjuku Gyoen, Koishikawa Korakuen, the Imperial Place and Meguro River, all are places in Japan. The Hanami Festival is during Spring time, when cherry blossoms grow, also known as the cherry blossom season. In Japanese, "hana" means flower, and "mi" means to watch or look, so together, it means flower watching. This celebration is an important custom that is worth celebrating to experience Japanese culture.
With many things in Ueno Park's interior, its natural features range from bushed, to trees. There are six types of trees planted in Ueno Park : ginko biloba, cinnamomum camphora, zelkova serrata, formosan cherry, somei - yoshino cherry and the famous Japanese cherry blossom trees. There are around a total of 8800 trees, with approximately 800 cherry trees, but including neighbouring areas, the overall amount becomes 1200 cherry trees. There are 24800m2 of shrubs among the area and a pond adding to the natural atmosphere. Shinobaza pond has an area of 16 hectares, holding extensive lotus beds and marshland, that also provides a perfect environment for wintering grounds for birds like, tufted duck, Eurasion Wigeon, Northen Pintail, Common Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Egret and Coromant.
Ueno Park has its own zoo, also the oldest soo in Japan. The official name for the zoo is the "Ueno Zoological Gardens", founded in March 20th 1882 by naturalist and civil servant, Tanaka Yoshio. The zoo holds 3000 animals and 400 different species, including Asiatic Elephants, Giant Pandas, Western Lowland Gorillas, Snowy Owls, Sumatran Tigers and general animals, like cows, goats, bats, and rabbits, which all you can explore within the zoo. The 14.3 hectare zoo is manage by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Ueno Park was formally belonging to the temple of Kan'ei-ji, which was founded in 1625, which used to be the city's largest and wealthiest temple. During the Boshin War in the Battle of Ueno in 1868, most of the temple structures were destroyed and incinerated in fire. After this, Ueno Park was established and the temple grounds were opened to the public for Hanami in 1876, making it one of the first public parks in Japan. The Kan'ei-ji Temple had an area of 53000m2 with an overflow of buildings with above the number of 68 buildings inside.
Ueno Park developed and sustained the monuments, statues and attractions. The number of attractions contain, the Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Western Art, National Museum of Nature and Science, Pagoda of Kan'ei-ji, Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Zoo, Japan Art Adcademy, Japan Academy, Bentendo, Ueno Royal Museum and Ueno Tōshō-gū.