JapanLiveNowLIVE
EN

Temple and zoo, or garden and shrine?

For temple and animals, stay in Ueno and give Senso-ji and Ueno Zoo separate days. For garden and shrine, choose Shinjuku with Gyoen and Meiji Jingu on separate days. These routes suit sightseeing from the first afternoon with enough airport travel time after the departure-day visit.

Show moreShow less

Choose a 2 days / 1 night itinerary

2 days / 1 night A

Senso-ji and Ueno Zoo

Stay 1 night in Ueno: visit Senso-ji on day 1 and the zoo on day 2. Choose this route if you can start sightseeing on the first afternoon and still reach the airport comfortably after day 2's visit.

Senso-ji and Ueno Zoo →2 days / 1 night B

Shinjuku Gyoen and Meiji Jingu

Stay 1 night in Shinjuku. Visit Shinjuku Gyoen on day 1 and Meiji Jingu on day 2, giving the garden and shrine separate days. On departure day, collect luggage from your hotel before leaving for the airport.

Shinjuku Gyoen and Meiji Jingu →
2 days / 1 night A

Senso-ji and Ueno Zoo

Stay 1 night in Ueno: visit Senso-ji on day 1 and the zoo on day 2. Choose this route if you can start sightseeing on the first afternoon and still reach the airport comfortably after day 2's visit.

Day 1 | Worship and walks at Senso-ji

Visit Senso-ji and browse Nakamise on day 1. From Narita Airport, reserve a Keisei Ueno-bound Skyliner from your terminal's railway station and get off at the terminus.

  1. Airport arrival station → Around Ueno Station

    Keisei Ueno and JR Ueno are separate stations; follow your hotel's station and exit directions. From Haneda, compare taking Keikyu to Shinagawa and transferring to a JR service stopping at Ueno. At Haneda Terminal 3, follow ‘Keikyu Railways’ signs from arrivals to the gates and platform. At other terminals, follow that terminal's railway signs.

    Skyliner stopsJR metropolitan route mapKeikyu airport accessHaneda Terminal 3: arrivals-to-station directions

  2. Ueno Station, Ginza Line → Asakusa Station

    Take an Asakusa-bound train. The adult one-way fare is IC 178 yen or paper ticket 180 yen. The ride takes about 5 minutes.

    Ginza Line section map

  3. Asakusa Station → Senso-ji main hall

    From Asakusa, walk via Kaminarimon, Nakamise and Hozomon to the main hall. Official temple directions give about 5 minutes on foot from Ginza Line Asakusa Station; allow extra for browsing shops and reaching street level from the gates.

    Senso-ji rail and walking accessTemple information

  4. Senso-ji main hall and grounds → Worship, walk and rest

    Visit the hall and walk through the grounds in the afternoon, taking a seated break. The hall closes at 17:00; eating first could leave too little time.

    Temple informationSenso-ji main-hall hours and official information

  5. Asakusa Station → Ueno Station and the same hotel

    From Asakusa Station, take a Shibuya-bound Ginza Line train back to Ueno. The return one-way fare is also IC 178 yen or paper ticket 180 yen. After worship and your meal, return according to the timetable at Asakusa Station for your date. Use your hotel's recommended exit for the walk back.

    Asakusa Station timetablesGinza Line section map

Finish worship before the main hall closes on day 1. Afterwards, eat in Asakusa or return to Ueno for dinner.

Day 2 | Visit Ueno Zoo

Walk from the Park Exit side of Ueno Station to the zoo's Main Gate.

  1. Ueno hotel and Park Exit → Zoo Main Gate

    Walk from your hotel towards Ueno Station's Park Exit. Official directions give about 5 minutes from the exit to the zoo's Main Gate; you do not need a JR train.

    Zoo Main Gate access

  2. Ueno Zoo Main Gate → See the animals and take breaks

    Visit after the zoo opens at 09:30 and rest between exhibits. Adult admission is 600 yen; last admission 16:00 and closing 17:00.

    Official operations

  3. Zoo Main Gate → Around Ueno Station

    Leave by the Main Gate and walk towards the Park Exit to return to the station area. Eat lunch here only if airport travel leaves enough time.

    Zoo Main Gate access

  4. Around Ueno Station → The same Ueno hotel

    Return to the same Ueno hotel after your visit and collect stored luggage. Before leaving for the airport, check your reserved train's departure station. JR Ueno and Keisei Ueno are separate stations.

    Skyliner stops

  5. Ueno hotel → Reserved airport-train departure station and terminal

    For a Narita-bound Skyliner, go from your hotel to Keisei Ueno and board your reserved service. Get off at Narita Airport Station for Terminal 1 or Airport Terminal 2 Station for Terminals 2 and 3. Allow extra time from the station to Terminal 3. For Haneda, compare JR from Ueno to Shinagawa followed by a Keikyu train stopping at your terminal. Work backwards from the airport-arrival time and sightsee only if enough time remains.

    Official operationsOfficial informationSkyliner stopsNarita Airport rail guideJR metropolitan route mapKeikyu airport access

Choose this route only if you can enter the zoo on day 2 and still reach the airport comfortably afterwards. Check official operating information for Mondays, New Year closures and exceptions after public holidays. Do not choose this two-attraction route as written on a zoo closure day or when you must leave for the airport in the morning. After a late day 1 arrival, choosing just Senso-ji or the zoo on day 2 allows more time. Checked paid items total 600 + 356 = 956 yen by IC, or 960 yen with paper tickets. Temple special openings, prayers, souvenirs and separate activities, meals, storage, accommodation, flights and airport transport are excluded.

Subtotal of checked paid items: IC 956 yen / paper tickets 960 yen

Included: Ueno Zoo admission 600 yen plus return Ginza Line travel between Ueno and Asakusa: IC 356 yen or paper tickets 360 yen.

Extra costs and conditions: JR, Tobu, airport transport, station-to-hotel travel, meals and accommodation are excluded from this subtotal.

Official operationsGinza Line section map

2 days / 1 night B

Shinjuku Gyoen and Meiji Jingu

Stay 1 night in Shinjuku. Visit Shinjuku Gyoen on day 1 and Meiji Jingu on day 2, giving the garden and shrine separate days. On departure day, collect luggage from your hotel before leaving for the airport.

Day 1 | An afternoon walk in Shinjuku Gyoen

From Narita Airport, check a Narita Express (N’EX) service stopping at Shinjuku and reserve a seat. Get off at JR Shinjuku and use your hotel's recommended exit.

  1. Airport arrival station → Around Shinjuku Station

    From Haneda, compare Keikyu to Shinagawa, then the JR Yamanote Line towards Shibuya and Shinjuku. At Shinjuku Station, use your hotel's recommended exit.

    N’EX stopsJR metropolitan route mapKeikyu airport access

  2. Shinjuku Station, South Exit → Gyoen Shinjuku Gate and the same hotel

    Walk about 10 minutes from the South Exit to Shinjuku Gate. This route does not use the subway to reach the garden. Enter before last admission, walk and rest, then leave through the same Shinjuku Gate and retrace your route. Adult admission is 500 yen. From 1 October to 14 March, last admission is 16:00 and closing 16:30. Have dinner in Shinjuku afterwards and return to your hotel. Check Ministry of the Environment information for closures and reservation conditions. A late arrival or closure may prevent a day 1 garden visit.

    Ministry of the Environment informationGyoen access by gate

This route assumes a hotel within walking distance of JR Shinjuku's South Exit and Shinjuku-sanchome subway station. After a late arrival or on a garden closure day, skip the garden and eat in Shinjuku.

Day 2 | Worship at Meiji Jingu, then return to Shinjuku

At Shinjuku-sanchome, take a Shibuya-bound Fukutoshin Line train stopping at F15.

  1. Shinjuku-sanchome (F13) → Meiji-jingumae (F15) and shrine main sanctuary

    Shinjuku-sanchome and JR Shinjuku are separate stations. The one-way fare is IC 178 yen or paper ticket 180 yen; an example journey in the official search takes about 5 minutes. At F15, use exit 2 and find the southern entrance on the Harajuku side. Official directions give about 1 minute from the station to the entrance, then at least about 10 minutes more to the main sanctuary. Platform-to-exit travel and waits are extra. Worship and walk through the woods in the morning, rest, then return to the southern entrance and exit 2. The paid garden and museum are excluded.

    Metro fare searchMeiji-jingumae exits and timetablesShrine accessGate opening timesChange notice dated 2026-03-14

  2. Meiji-jingumae (F15) → Shinjuku-sanchome (F13) and the same hotel

    Return towards Shinjuku-sanchome, Ikebukuro or Wakoshi and get off at F13. Even on a through-service bound for Seibu or Tobu lines, check that it stops at F13. The return one-way fare is also IC 178 yen or paper ticket 180 yen. Collect luggage from your Shinjuku hotel. Eat lunch only if airport travel leaves enough time.

    Metro fare searchMeiji-jingumae exits and timetablesChange notice dated 2026-03-14

  3. Shinjuku hotel → Reserved airport-train departure station and terminal

    For Narita, board your reserved airport-bound Narita Express at JR Shinjuku. Get off at Narita Airport Station for Terminal 1 or Airport Terminal 2 Station for Terminals 2 and 3. For Haneda, take the JR Yamanote Line towards Shibuya and Shinagawa, then transfer at Shinagawa to an airport-bound Keikyu service stopping at your terminal. Sightsee only if you can meet your airline's airport-arrival time, allowing for the hotel-to-platform journeys and Terminal 3 access.

    N’EX stopsNarita Airport rail guideJR metropolitan route mapKeikyu airport accessJR works and suspension notices

Check garden opening dates as well as the shrine: this route visits Shinjuku Gyoen on day 1 and Meiji Jingu on day 2. Shrine opening and closing times vary by month; October hours are 05:40–16:40. A morning visit allows a woodland walk without rushing for closing. Checked paid items total garden admission 500 + return subway 356 = 856 yen by IC, or 860 yen with paper tickets. Special use of shrine grounds, meals, storage, accommodation, flights and airport transport are excluded. For only the checked subway return in either 2-day route, individual fares of 356/360 yen cost less than the 1,000-yen 24-hour tourist ticket.

Subtotal of checked paid items: IC 856 yen / paper tickets 860 yen

Included: Shinjuku Gyoen admission 500 yen plus return Fukutoshin Line travel between Shinjuku-sanchome and Meiji-jingumae: IC 356 yen or paper tickets 360 yen. Walk to the garden.

Extra costs and conditions: JR, Tobu, airport transport, station-to-hotel travel, meals and accommodation are excluded from this subtotal.

Ministry of the Environment informationMetro fare search

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a 24-hour ticket for one subway return?

The example 2-day routes' adult subway return costs IC 356 yen or paper tickets 360 yen. For that return alone, individual fares cost less than the 1,000-yen 24-hour ticket. Calculate JR, airport travel and other sections separately.

Ginza Line section mapMetro fare searchChange notice dated 2026-03-14

Official sources and dates checked