It is 65 degrees Fahrenheit today, but last Sunday, it was in the upper 80s. It was the rare hot spring day in Tokyo, though it is getting frighteningly less rare. Despite the heat, we went to Ueno Zoo.
It had been impossible to obtain reservations due to Covid restrictions. Every Saturday morning at 9am, a limited number of online reservations would become available on a first-come first-serve basis for the following week. Every time I tried, waiting on my computer until 9am sharp, I failed. No matter how quickly I clicked, all feasible time slots were full. So when this reservation system finally gave way to a less restrictive one last weekend, I jumped at the opportunity.
It is hard to exaggerate the number of people lined up outside the zoo when we arrived. I had purchased online tickets and arrived right at opening time, and so had everyone else. In fact, there was no wait to purchase tickets in-person, which kind of defeats the purpose of pre-purchasing tickets online. It took 45 minutes just to get inside the zoo! I thought this was typically Tokyo - everyone is an early bird, and everyone plans ahead. So we all end up in the same long line.
Of course, the animals were lethargic too. The heat wasn't too bad in the morning, but the sun was intense. I would have preferred a drizzle. When you first arrive in Japan and see people with arm bands, humongous visors, and parasols, you may think that they are simply warding off tans. I certainly thought so. After a year of living here, I realized that without these things, I would probably develop skin cancer and cataracts. Sun cream, sunglasses, and hats are musts for outdoor outings in Tokyo!
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| The elephant, wondering why it is so hot in May. |
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| The tiger, wondering why it is so hot in May. |
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| Hedwig, wondering why it is so hot in May. |
Going to the zoo always makes me think about this New Yorker article I read a few years ago. It is about the social role of zoos, the moral and ethical considerations of their existence, and their impact on animal welfare and endangerment. I loved going to zoos before I was old enough to consider any of these issues. Being an adult has not made the zoo less fun, but rather more interesting.
The Ueno Zoo is centrally located but not large. Actually, Tama Zoo, which is farther from central Tokyo, is much bigger. This makes Ueno suitable for younger kids with less endurance. But it also means longer lunch lines on the weekends.
The main sit-down restaurant in Ueno is near the monkeys in the East Garden. It was nearly full when we headed there around 11am. In Japan, it is normal to reserve a seat with personal items. There are people who reserve with bags and jackets (normal), and there are those who reserve with a plastic water bottle (questionable, but still works since no one will steal your water bottle and even fewer who want a confrontation over a water bottle). This is how an entire restaurant fills up before anyone has even gotten their food. We luckily found one of the last remaining booths indoors.
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| The ever-popular panda nikuman (steamed bun with pork inside) |
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| Reserve your seats first! |
These jelly pouches are nice for hot days like Saturday. I froze them beforehand so they would still be cold during our outing. It took nearly an hour to get our food, but since the kids had had their mid-morning snack, the wait wasn't so bad.
By the time lunch ended around 12:45, the temperature had climbed to a sweltering 88 F. The East Garden and the West Garden are connected by short walkway. While the east side has a restaurant, the west side has more food trucks and snack food. It also houses the large African mammals, such as the giraffes, okapi, rhinos, etc.
We entered the zoo shortly after 10am and finished seeing everything before 2pm. Between then, we took a long lunch break and plenty of snack and toilet breaks.
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| Food options outside the zoo: an old-timey concession stand. |
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