Ueno Park 
See also: 
Ueno Hirokoji
Ueno Park Blossoms
Most famous for its cherry blossoms, Ueno koen (park) also has direct historical links between both the Tokugawa and Meiji eras; from feudal Edo to modern Tokyo. Toshogu-kyu stands as a memorial to the first Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and, in an accident of history, as a reminder that Ueno was the scene, in 1867, of a final stand by Tokugawa loyalists, the Shogotai, against the restoration of Imperial rule. Saigo Takamori, the general who led Imperial troops against the Shogotai is also memorialized, with some irony, in statue form; in 1878, it was Saigo who would lead an unsuccessful insurrection, the Satsuma Rebellion, in opposition to the Imperial government's rush toward Westernization and the demotion of Samurai to a lower social status.
(Above:) The Bird's Eye View of the Tokyo Taisho Exposition. This ca. 1914 aerial view displays the whole of Ueno Park in full bloom. At left are Shinobazu Pond surrounded by the exposition buildings (many of which were built originally for the 1907 Meiji Exposition). Above the fairgrounds, in the distance, are the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial University. At center would have been located the Toshogu Shrine and Ueno Daibutsu (see below). To the right, various museums, galleries and schools were built among the cherry trees.
(Above:) Entrance of Uyeno Park, Tokyo. The colorful entrance to Ueno Park at cherry blossom time, typically in mid-April. Widely popular in the Meiji era, Ohanmi parties are still a very popular outdoor activity for Tokyo-ites.
(Above:) Ueno Park at Tokyo. An ornate, picturesque bandstand lends a refined, Victorian air to this Ueno cherry blossom scene.
(Above:) Toshogu Ueno Park. Toshogu shrine is dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Ieyasu, and was used by several generations of the Tokugawas as their family shrine. Of the seven Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan between 1567 and 1867, only one -- the last Shogun -- is not buried on the grounds of Toshogu.
(Above:) Ueno Koen at Tokyo. Saigo Takamori is another historical figure memorialized at Ueno Park. It was decided, when the statue was commissioned, that he should be dressed in everyday clothing, not formal attire. His widow was horrified at this insult to Saigo's legacy but the matter rested with the government he had both fought for and then against. Given Saigo's leadership in the Satsuma Rebellion, Meiji officials felt formal or military dress would have dignified his memory to too much of a degree; a casually-clothed Saigo would still assuage his followers while knocking him down a notch or two.
(Above:) The Zoological Garden at Yeno [sic] Park, Tokyo.
(Above:) Daibutsu at Ueno-Park. Befitting its religious origins, a Daibutsu (great Buddha statue) could at one time be seen at Ueno Park. Neither as large or ever as highly regarded as the Kamakura or Nara statues, the Ueno Daibutsu head came rolling off during the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake; all but its face was melted down (for its brass) and lost to the war effort during World War II. What little remains of the Ueno Daibutsu (its face) can still be seen today displayed in the park.