◆ Discover the history of Ueno and its famous park 
◆ Roam some of Tokyo's most traditional shopping streets 
◆ Explore samurai-era Tokyo through its most important shrines and temples 
◆ See Japan's beautiful foliage and flowers in the heart of its biggest city 

Our Tokyo Heritage Tour takes you around three of the most significant locations in Tokyo's shitamachi, where the regular people lived during Japan's famous Edo period (1603-1868): Ueno, Yanaka, and Sendagi.

Ueno 
The first stop on our tour is one of the most famous areas in Tokyo, Ueno. Traditionally a key location in Tokyo's working class shitamachi area, it is home to a number of bustling shopping districts, and most famously a vast public park. 

The most popular park in all of Japan, Ueno Park contains a zoo, a number of Japan's major museums and several temples and shrines. Believed to be the first western-style park in the country, it was once the grounds of the richest and most important temple in Edo, old Tokyo, belonging to the ruling Tokugawa Clan.

Here our guide will lead you around of the park's well-known sights, including Gojonuto Tower, the five-story pagoda that remains of the former temple grounds, and the beautiful Shinobazu pond, with its hundreds of water lilies and octagonal Bentendo temple hall at its center. (During cherry blossom season, you can also take a tour around its most treasured cherry blossom spots.)

Following a tour of the park, your guide will take you around some of Ueno's urban highlights. These will depend on guide, season, and your own personal preference but common locations include:

• Ameya Yokocho, the former black market and current bargain-haven of Tokyo, where you can buy genuine brands at cheap prices and sweets by the box. 
• Kappabashi, the street Tokyo's best chefs come to buy their kitchen utensils. 
• Kanei-ji Temple, the new grounds of the old temple that gave birth to Ueno Park.

Yanaka & Sendagi 
A short walk from Ueno will then take you to the Yanesen district, the collective name for combined locations of Yanaka, Sendagi, and Nezu. A quieter area than nearby Ueno, it captures the more every day side of old Edo's lower classes. With a number of traditional streets and gardens, common visited sights in this half of the tour include: 

• Yanaka Cemetery, Japan's best-known cemetery, where its most famous artists and military leaders reside, known for its beguiling views gingko trees. 
• Yanaka Ginza, a shopping street that still retains its old Edo atmosphere. There are plenty of traditional souvenirs and foods to buy on offer. 
• Nezu Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. It is famous for its azaleas and a common wedding spot. 
• Amezaiku Yoshihara, a traditional candy store, famous for selling amezaiku, intricately sculpted sweets from Japan's Heian period (794-1185).