The one question that many tourists have when approaching any city is where they should stay. In Tokyo, you would have heard of the many recommendations, including Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ginza… and the list continues.

Today, I will share the many reasons why you should consider Ueno if you are visiting Tokyo.

#1 Connectivity from the Airport

Tokyo is served by 2 airports, Haneda and Narita (which is in neighbouring Chiba province). After a long flight, all you want to do is to get to the hotel, check in (if possible), drop your luggage before you head out. No one wants to struggle with luggage across a city.

If you are landing at Narita, where most international flights do, the easiest way into the city is riding the Keisei Skyliner, which brings you direct to Ueno is about 40mins. The fee is ¥2,570 (S$25), but you can purchase it as a discount prior to your travel on their website or via Klook.

Even if you land in Haneda, it is only about a 40 minute ride with a change to the Yamanote line at Shinagawa.

#2 Connectivity across Tokyo

If it is your first trip to Tokyo, you will want to stay near a station on the JR Yamanote line, which will bring you to most places you want to see, including Kabuki-cho at Shinjuku, Hachiko and Shibuya Crossing at Shibuya, Harajuku for the younger folks plus Meiji Shrine right next to it and Akihabara for the otakus. Ueno is conveniently located on the Yamanote line and it takes at most half an hour to make it across the city.

Besides the JR Yamanote Line, there is also the Hibiya and Ginza subway lines that serve Ueno. You’ll be pleased to know that both these lines are directly connected to places not served by the Yamanote line including Roppongi, Tsukiji Market and Tokyo Tower (Kamiyacho Station on Hibiya Line), plus it is only a short way away to Tokyo Skytree via the Ginza line with an onward change to the Asakusa line (Otahige Station).

Additional special tip for families with young kids: if you are heading to Tokyo Disneyland, you will have to take the Keiyo Line from Tokyo station. Ueno is about 8 minutes away (5 stops) from Tokyo station.

#3 Generally Cheaper Hotels

Doing a search of hotels on Agoda, you’ll realise that Ueno has one of the largest concentration of cheaper hotels (for an individual or couple) near the Yamanote line and subway lines. In fact, probably only Ikebukuro has the same concentration of cheaper hotels based on our checks. If you are a budget traveller, Ueno is probably for you.

#4 Relatively good food

If you are a first-time traveler to Tokyo, guessing you would want to check out ramen. Right at Ueno station, there is an Ichiran ramen, one of the more famous ramen chains in Japan, which costs less than ¥1,000 for the standard ramen. Add on an onsen egg for ¥140.

If you prefer other kinds of noodles, you may want to check out a duck soba place, Kamo to Negi (らーめん鴨to葱). While I admit that I have not tried it, there was a long queue after my lunch at 1:30pm and other sites have mentioned this place as a place to try. The exact location can be found here.

There is also another restaurant that you will want to check out, Magurobito, which is opposite Kamo to Negi. It is a standing sushi bar (you really stand unlike the standing sushi bar in Singapore). The sushi offered is priced relatively reasonably for its good quality.

See you in Ueno soon!