Ueno Station — Local services in Tokyo

During my trip to Tokyo, I had the opportunity to visit Ueno Station, and it was an unforgettable experience. Ueno Station is one of Tokyo's major railway hubs, and it offers so much more than just transportation convenience.

Upon arriving at the station, I was immediately impressed by its bustling atmosphere. The blend of traditional Japanese architecture and modern facilities made it a unique sight to behold. The station's layout was well-organized, and there were numerous signages in English, making navigation easier for international travelers like me.

Inside the station, I discovered a myriad of shopping options. The extensive range of stores and boutiques catered to various interests, from fashion to local souvenirs. I couldn't resist purchasing some traditional Japanese snacks and beautifully crafted souvenirs as keepsakes of my trip.

One highlight of Ueno Station is its proximity to Ueno Park, one of Tokyo's most famous parks. After a short walk, I found myself surrounded by lush greenery and beautiful cherry blossoms (if visiting during the spring season). The park also houses several museums, including the Tokyo National Museum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, which provided fascinating insights into Japanese history and culture.

The culinary experience at Ueno Station was equally impressive. There were plenty of dining options ranging from affordable local eateries to upscale restaurants. I savored some delicious sushi, ramen, and other traditional dishes that left my taste buds delighted.

One thing to note is the station's busy nature, especially during peak hours. It can get crowded, but that's also part of the charm and vibrancy of the place. I recommend visiting Ueno Station during the early morning or late evening to avoid the crowds and enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere.

In conclusion, my visit to Ueno Station was a delightful blend of modern convenience, cultural immersion, and gastronomic delights. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a shopaholic, or a food lover, Ueno Station has something to offer for every traveler. It truly embodies the essence of Tokyo's charm and is a must-visit destination for anyone...

Terrible customer service support and disgrace to the company. Experienced train delay that departured from Katsuta line bound for Ueno Station via the Tokiwa line due to technical issues with original train. The Tokiwa line uses the seat reservation system, which requires passengers that take the limited express line to be purchase ticket at ticket machines or ticket office. When asked for any arrangements regarding the train delay, train staffs told passengers to get on the next train. So as instructed, got on to the next train bound for Ueno and disaster striked at next station. Due to the delayed train, passengers that were on this train and the next train have overlapped seats, as a result passengers for the previous train have to stand for an hour. With such lousy arrangement and service, most of the passengers had to stand for the rest of the journey, which not only was exhausting but also frustrating. After a while, passengers were informed via PA system/ broadcast that refunds will be arranged at the passenger’s disembarking station. After disembark, we went to the first ticket office within the Ueno Station paid area for refund arrangement. After a long queue, we reached the counter and explained the situation to the counter staff. Annoyingly, not only was the counter staff unhelpful, but also unfriendly, because the counter staff stated that standing and reservation seat is at the same price, hence no refund will be arranged. In a frustrated tone, the counter staff directed us to the ticket office right outside of the paid area. Feeling frustrated and angry by the attitude of the first staff member that we encountered at Ueno Station, we queues up for another long queue at the second ticket office. Fortunately, with the help and assistance of other fellow passengers, partial refund was arranged. For such a internationally-recognised and major player in the japan transportation system, better arrangements could have been made and staff members should treat every passenger equally, to be friendly and assist passengers that require assistance whenever help is needed, and not be frustrated and annoyed regardless of culture...

The tourist information staff at Ueno station weren’t the most helpful and efficient. As one of the major station in Tokyo and as tourist information staff… we don’t understand why none of them can understand English

Anyway, we approached them for help as we couldn’t unlock one of our lockers – displayed a locker system error.

In the error message, it indicated a Japan local contact number. We requested the staff to help as to call as we do not have a local line, but they told us to find a public phone and make the call ourselves. Am I being entitled and asking too much to request the tourist information staff to help to make a call?

Eventually, they did help to make the call and they got redirected to another number and so.

Finally, they got hold of the situation and told us to wait for another 10min or less for the locker system technician to come over to assist.

It took us a total of 45min to retrieve our luggage.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have been using the coin lockers in the station with no issue. Until we use To Locca’s locker.

To Locca’s large lockers require online registration and reservation to use the locker. The site doesn’t have the language option and we got to use google’s auto translate. It got us quite frustrated as the account creation took us quite some time. On top of that, their system isn’t that stable too – encountered system error and couldn’t unlock locker.

⚠️Use To Locca’s reservation lockers at your own risk, don’t forget the tourist information staff aren’t the most efficient at addressing such issue. Fyi, after retrieving our luggage, they continue to charge my credit card (as they charge by /hr), but managed to get a refund after sending them an email.

To encounter such unpleasant experience in one of Tokyo’s major station is a huge...