RTW Trip Day #5: Tokyo: Senso-ji and Ueno

3 October 2025

Steps: 21,667

Today was our last full day exploring Tokyo. We’ve done so much already (walked about 18k steps each day) We're still feeling pretty jet lagged but we only have 5 days in Tokyo and already can tell it is nowhere near enough to see all that we'd love to see!

Our Failed Attempt to Visit the Imperial Palace

Not everything always goes to plan, and this turned out to be the first (of many) mistakes in our itinerary. We had planned to visit the Imperial Palace on another day but switched things around because of the rain on Wednesday, not realizing that entry to the gardens is closed on Mondays and Fridays.

When we arrived, the only way to access the grounds was through a guided tour, but they were already sold out. Since we have a cooking class tomorrow and then catch the shinkansen to Kyoto, there just isn’t time to fit it in now. I guess that’s a good reason to come back to Tokyo one day!

Senso-ji Temple

Senso-ji Temple appears on just about every 'best things to do in Tokyo' list, and I have to say it’s one of the most impressive buildings I’ve ever seen. The entrance through Kaminarimon Gate with its giant red lantern is pretty amazing. It was incredibly busy though, and it’s hard to appreciate a place that’s associated with peacefulness when there are so many people around.

Even with the crowds, you can still feel how awe-inspiring this place is, and the view of the five-story pagoda is one of my favourites so far.

We really enjoyed walking up and down the market streets that lead to the temple, called Nakamise-dori. The hustle and bustle there actually adds to the experience, and the kids loved looking for small gifts for their friends while Jess picked out a pair of earrings.

Of course, whenever we are walking through a market, we inevitably end up getting some sort of street food or ice cream! I ticked match ice cream off my list today!

After the market, I headed up to the top of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, which is located directly across from Kaminarimon Gate. It's free to go up, and you get some great views of Senso-ji Temple, Nakamise-dori, and the Tokyo Skytree

Oh, and right by Senso-ji Station we found the cutest little treat - a crepe shaped like a hedgehog, filled with whipped cream!

Ueno

Ueno Ameyoko Market

Now this is what I've been waiting for!

We took the train from Okachimachi Station and walked through the market up towards the park. I finally got to try some street food and found this tiny standing-only shop selling takoyaki, which are kind of like small Yorkshire puddings with a piece of squid inside. Hard to explain, but absolutely delicious.

As we kept walking, we found a restaurant serving katsu curry, which Susie had been craving since we arrived in Japan. Jess tried it too and really enjoyed it.

Marishiten Tokudaiji Temple

Right in the middle of the market was a small Buddhist temple called Marishiten Tokudaiji. We went inside, Jess lit another candle for Grandad, and we picked up another goshuin. It was surprisingly peaceful, especially considering it was just steps away from the busy market!

Kiyomizu Kannon Temple

We ventured into Ueno Park and our first stop was Kiyomizu Kannon Temple. It’s a beautiful spot overlooking the park, with a large wooden terrace that juts out over the hillside. There’s even a tree shaped into a perfect circle that frames the path down to Shinobazu Pond and Bentendo, the temple located on an island in the middle of the pond.

Shinobazu Bentendo Temple

Shinobazu Bentendo Temple was just a short walk away, but what makes it unique is that it sits on an island right in the middle of Shinobazu Pond. As we arrived there were street performers playing a traditional song with drums.

Shinobazu Pond

Shinobazu Pond itself is a large pond famous for its lotus plants. There’s a walkway that cuts through the pond so you can walk right among the lotus, although that area seemed to be part of Ueno Zoo.

We did consider visiting the zoo, but we’ve been making a point of researching any animal experiences on this trip, and from what we read, it seemed that the conditions aren’t great and the animals aren’t always well cared for, so we decided to give it a miss.

Riding a Swan Boat

Part of Shinobazu Pond is open water where you can rent swan-shaped pedal boats and glide around. The kids wanted a go, and it was only 1000 yen (around $9.30 CAD) for 30 minutes, which we thought was pretty reasonable. I wouldn’t have wanted to stay on for much longer though, as the boats were clearly made for people shorter than 6ft 1!

Tokyo National Museum

The final stop for the day was the Tokyo National Museum, which is one of five museums in the park. We could only visit one, so we chose the Tokyo National Museum, as we figured it would have the most “Japanese stuff” in it and help the kids learn about the history of Japan and its culture.

After all, we are meant to be homeschooling them along the way!

It's quite reasonable entry at 1,000 Yen (around $9 CAD) per adult and free for the kids.

The museum was huge, with incredible exhibitions on Japanese art, calligraphy, traditional kimono, and even samurai armour and swords, which were amazing to see up close.

The gardens behind the museum were really peaceful, with people sitting quietly and just taking it all in. It felt so different from what we’d see in Canada or the UK, where kids would be kicking footballs around instead!

There was a bit of last-minute drama when Jess realized she’d left her bum bag in the museum with her rail ticket inside. We had to run back and try to explain the situation - easier said than done - but they eventually let us back in to grab it, and all was well in the end.

Previous Day #4: Shibuya, Meiji Jingu Shrine and Shinjuku

Next Day #6: Homecoming Taka & Shinkansen to Kyoto

Read About Our Itinerary here