Ueno Station Walk - Part 4: Tokijikan-do - Tokijikan (Bell of Time) - Ueno Imperial Gift Park

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  • Sightseeing
Photo taken on December 9

There is also a bell tower in Ueno Park.

When you hear the words "Toki no Kane" (bell of time), you may think of Kawagoe in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Actually, there is also a bell in Ueno! If you walk up the hill beside Ueno Seiyoken in the park, you will see Tokijikendo - the bell of time - a little higher up.
Installed in 1666 (Kanbun 6), this bell told the time to the citizens of Edo at that time. In June 1996, the bell was selected as one of the 100 best soundscapes in Japan to preserve by the Ministry of the Environment. If your timing is right, you can hear the bells ringing in Ueno Park.

Haiku written by Matsuo Basho

At that time in 1666, there were nine time bells in Edo to announce the time. Matsuo Basho wrote a haiku, "Hana no Kumo wa Ueno ka Asakusa ka?" This is said to indicate that he wondered whether the bell he heard was the time bell in Ueno or in Asakusa.
Photographed on November 23

In 2021, this year's New Year's bell will be...

On December 31, the temple also rings the temple bell on New Year's Eve as an annual event. *Pre-reservations required.
On New Year's Eve 2021, why not end the year with the sound of Edo in Ueno Park and the New Year's bell of Tokijokan-do - the Bell of Time - in Ueno Park?
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