tokyo #4 - ueno park

traveling on your own gives such a sense of freedom.

especially in a safe city like tokyo, where no one is ever rude

and i didn't feel unwelcomed in any way.

one of the parks in tokyo.
didn't get to visit since it was closed on that particular day.

some sakura or ume still blooming.
i honestly can't tell the difference.

have to tell you, it's kinda hard travelling alone.
there's no one there to help you take picturesss! lol

after wandering around tokyo for awhile,

i got on the metro and headed to ueno park.

i actually went to this lovely park twice:

once by myself, another with my tour group.

main purpose: to catch a glimpse of late-blooming sakura.

many people went out and had sakura hanami under the trees

is this sakura?
seriously, i had no idea. hahaha
but look at its vivid pinkness!

heading into the temple area.
got lots of street food, but none i was brave enough to try.

the temple/souvenir shop.

got one strip of land dividing the lake.
it's surreal. before this, this lake only existed in my dreams.

walkway to enjoy the sakura
ugh just imagine if the trees were in full bloom!
this park will be jam-packed with people

also the place where you can do sweet, couple-y water activities

ugh. perfect.

a bit on sakura hanami.

since sakura blooms only 1-2 weeks a year,

people really took time to go out and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

they go on picnics under the sakura trees and it's referred to as 'hanami'.

it's quite an event as well,

many parks will be packed with people.

the idea behind it is so pretty.

beautiful things in life are temporary,

so you set aside time to enjoy it :)

by the way, entrance to ueno park is free.

you only need to pay if you want to do the water activities.

saw this uncle feeding the birds wuuu

cuteee

o.o

i think this is ume. but still.
how is such beauty possible?

the temple.

people would wash their feet before entering any temples

just how did this tree became like this??

around JR ueno station

oh and look at the cute panda thing!
some train stations have this kind of barrier, some don't.

second time visiting ueno park,

this time with my trip group.

with a friend i met over there

still pretty

the contrasting colour of trees
red, green, and white

thank you ueno park,

for being the loveliest park i've ever had the luck to set foot on.

till we meet again <3