First time Visiting Japan: Exploring Ueno and reasons to stay there!

First time Visiting Japan: Exploring Ueno and reasons to stay there!

All right, guys. Welcome back to Subliminal Escapes. My name is Steven Stangalini. We appreciate you being here with us on YouTube. Our journey into exploring Japan continues today. Today, we’re going to talk about a couple things. How and why we chose the Ueno neighborhood and how to choose the neighborhood you wish to stay in when you take your dream vacation to Japan. A couple of things on the map. You can see there’s the big major areas, the most popular areas that tourists choose when coming to Tokyo from Yueno, Asakusa, Akiabara, Ginsa, Shabuya, and Shinjuku. These may be popular areas and you may be thinking, well, why don’t I stay there? That’s okay. Most people do. However, in looking into it, the concerns that were ours really were, how crazy is the party atmosphere in Shinjuku at night? Is it going to be noisy and keep us awake? Is it going to be really rowdy? Not to say we don’t like the party, but we were looking for something more laid-back. Shabuya is very lively, but does that mean the hotels are overcrowded and there’s distances that you have to travel from the Shabuya train station carrying your luggage to your hotel? In an area that crowded, that felt like it might be kind of an inconvenience for us. Even the area of Ginsa, which is more higherend shopping, we covered in one of the last videos. As nice as it seems, I didn’t want to have to lug my bag very far. Which leads back to a topic in one of our beginning videos. Luggage transport or baggage forwarding. Yamato is the company we chose when we were in Japan. You simply go to a kiosk at the airport. When you get to the airport, wherever you arrive from, tell them where you want your bag forwarded and it’s transported there. So, you don’t have to worry about it. So, if your bags are forwarded and you don’t mind any of these neighborhoods, then the carrying around of luggage for you and your family may not be an issue. It really wasn’t for us. But not knowing the value of baggage forwarding, I chose the area of Ueno simply based on a couple of factors. One, it was more laid-back. Two, its proximity to Narita Airport. You see, when you come into the Tokyo area from Narita Airport, you have many options for how you’re going to get to Tokyo. From taxi, cab, private transportation, bus, or train. There are two trains that go from Narita Airport to the Tokyo metro area. They are the Narita Express, which many people opt to take, or the KC Skyliner. The KC Skyliner’s first stop in the Tokyo Metro is Ueno Station. To me, the convenience factor of that alone was what sealed the deal because I didn’t know how long the train ride was going to be and I knew I didn’t want to sit on a train very long after a long flight to Japan. So, with the first stop being Ueno, that sort of sealed the deal. We now have a laid-back area. We now have a lively touristy area. and we now have something that’s conveniently located. When we got off the train at Ueno station and we had to initially walk to our hotel, our hotel was about a 9-minute walk from the Ueno station, not knowing any better prior to getting to Japan. If I would have connected on the Tokyo Metro and got off at Narvicho station, it’s only a 4 to 5 minute walk to our hotel in Ueno, which was wildly convenient. Now that I know, next time I go, I wouldn’t change a thing. If I flew into Tokyo tomorrow, I’d still fly into Narita Airport, unless the prices to Haneda were cheaper. And I would still opt for the Casey Skyliner directly to Yueno station, have our bags forwarded so we don’t have to lug our big heavy baggage through the streets of Tokyo and walk the 10 minutes it takes to get to our hotel. Now that we understand why it is we chose Ueno, it’s time to explore this wonderful neighborhood and the shopping it has to offer. Walking through Ueno Aayoko shopping street is like diving into a sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells. The street itself is a vibrant, bustling blend of traditional Tokyo charm and modern energy. You’re surrounded by the constant hum of people moving through the market, chatter blending with the occasional shopkeepers call. The aroma of sizzling street food, takoyaki, and sweet tayyaki wash through the air, tempting you at every corner. All right, guys. The Japan trip continues. We are here in Ueno, a very large market in the UO neighborhood. As you can see, people all around, all kinds of activity. Middle of a Sunday. This is Tokyo. This is the way it is here. compared to anywhere else in the world. It is bustling. There’s people everywhere. There’s all kinds of shops. The smells are amazing. The vibe is really intense. The weather is perfect. This is just an amazing place right now. I wish you guys were here. I wish you could see it. The smells, the food, the people, the atmosphere, the shopping. You ain’t Everywhere you looked, there was delicious food to be had, which brought up something pretty important to us. We were hungry and it was time to eat. Instead of looking all over on Google Maps and deciding, hey, what’s got the best reviews? We decided to wing it. This would pay off immensely because the food we had anywhere we went in Tokyo was great. The feeling you get in this neighborhood is a rush of nostalgia. It’s like you’re stepping into a world that’s been frozen in time and continuously evolving. There’s an odd sense of familiarity, yet it’s always slightly unpredictable with new finds around every corner. It’s the perfect place to lose yourself in the frantic energy of Tokyo. After walking for a few more minutes, we decided to go to a shop that specialized in guoza and yakasoba. And let me tell you guys, the food there was delicious. All right, guys. We’re just leaving here in Tokyo. Amazing area. I mean, I wish you could see. Look behind us. Look over here. It’s just It’s freaking incredible. Babe, what do you think? It’s awesome. It’s fantastic. Yeah, this is something else, guys. So, this is where we stayed. This is our neighborhood where we stayed. The atmosphere is both chaotic and exciting. The bright neon signs flash overhead while the narrow crowded walkways feel alive with energy. People of all walks of life, tourists, locals, families, and street vendors cross paths, creating a dynamic mix of cultures and personalities. After exploring Amayyoko shopping district, we were getting hungry yet again. It was time for dinner. After a brief stop at our hotel, we asked the individual working the front desk, “What’s your favorite place to eat here in Ueno?” He suggested one place and one place only. Now, the restaurant he suggested was Japanese Barbecue, also known as Yakiniku, where the food was really, really good. amazing flavors of beef tongue to filet minion very thinly sliced. It was nothing short of amazing and we really enjoyed the experience too. I might add asking somebody in a different place what their suggestion of what they like to eat is can pay off immensely versus just going and guessing or going with the masses to where you may think it might be good. Guys, thank you for watching this edition of Subliminal Escapes. We covered why we chose Ueno. We covered how wonderful this neighborhood is. What we will cover, though, is that we’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg of where to explore in Japan. Our next episode shows when we leave Ueno, we take the Shinkansen to Canazawa. That in of itself was an adventure. From riding the world’s fastest highspeed railway to exploring a local town in northern Japan and seeing what a more laid-back town had to offer. My name is Steven Stingalini. You’ve been watching Subliminal Escapes. We always appreciate you being here. We’ll see you on the next episode. Take care.

In this video, we continue our Japan Journey with Day 4 in Tokyo.
We dive into the appeal of Ueno, one of Tokyo’s most vibrant and culturally rich neighborhoods. From why we chose to stay in this area, to helpful tips on where to stay nearby, we explore what makes Ueno such a special part of the city—and what it has to offer for travelers.