Ueno Zoo

On Saturday, May 9th we woke up to a beautiful day. We didn't have any plans so we decided to head into Tokyo. We wanted to show Madeleine how to take the fancy train to Shinjuku. Let me explain. There are several types of trains that take you to Shinjuku station in Tokyo. There is a local train that stops at every station. Then there are semi-express and express trains that get you there faster with fewer stops. These trains are usually very crowded and you are lucky if you can get a seat. It takes about 30 minutes on the express train and longer on the local. BUT, a couple of stops down the line from our station, you can catch a train that has reserved seats. They call it the "Romance" train. This is the more traditional train that you might be used to taking. It is an additional charge to the ticket you buy to Shinjuku. It is great because you can sit together in comfort (airline style seats) and they even have a refreshment cart and attendant that goes up and down the aisle. There are bathrooms and plenty of room for baggage. Like I said earlier, it is the fancy train! So anyway, we took the Romance train to Shinjuku. Once there we looked at the stops along the Yamanote line. This is a train line that goes in a big loop around the city. Vanessa spotted Ueno and we remembered there is a big park there, Ueno Park. It is similiar to Central Park in New York since it is big and in the center of Tokyo. Soon after we arrived at the park we had a picnic lunch under some big trees. After that we started exploring. There was a lot of activity with street performers, booths selling pottery and lots of food and drink. We came to a big open area and standing in the middle of it was a man with a sign that read "Free Hugs" Vanessa didn't hesitate and with a big smile went right over and got a hug. We all got hugs! We only saw one other guy getting a hug but we hoped he gave away a bunch of them.

Shortly afterward we came to the Ueno Zoo. We weren't planning on going to the zoo but it looked like fun so off we went. Just past the entrance gate they had the carp flying in the breeze.

Maddie loves elephants. She thinks they are cool. We agree. There was a young one entertaining the crowd that Maddie really liked.

They also had Japanese snow monkeys! There were several babies running around getting into mischief. We stayed and watched them for a long time.

Maddie monkeying around at the gorilla exhibit. I don't know who that mysterious character with the sunglasses is next to her.

The seals were lively and quite vocal. This one hopped up on the rock just as we were walking up to the railing! (It was a sunny day as you can tell from Maddie's squinting.)

We were getting a little tired so we decided to head back home. On the way out, Maddie decided to hop up on the elephant. We've got to get this girl to Africa. She's a natural!

We took the Romance train back home. Once again, another fun day in Tokyo! We hope you have a nice day too.