We started out this day by catching the JR Yamanote line to Ueno station where we met up with our friend.

Before our trip, all of the weather forecasts said that the sakura flowers would be in full bloom during our time in Tokyo. However, just before we arrived, cold weather descended upon Tokyo and lasted for most of our time in Japan.

We didn’t mind too much though because we actually prefer cooler weather and had just seen the Ueno sakura flowers last year. But it was still nice to see some of the earlier blooming flowers again out at Ueno Park.

Also, if you have an interest in samurai history check out the Saigo Takamori statue in Ueno Park. Takamori is thought of as the last real samurai making his last stand against the Meiji government in the Battle of Shiroyama. This being the historical basis for the 2003 Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai.