Hakubutsukan Dobutsuen Station first opened in 1933 as part of the Keisei Honsen train line. The station office and platform are underground and for a long time we could only catch a glimpse of it when passing through on the Keisei train. The station’s main exit near the Tokyo National Museum remained close for a long time. The station had not been used since 1997 because it was too short for modern trains to stop.

On November 23, 2018 the station opened for public viewing as part of the UENOYES project.

The long station name Hakubutsukan Dobutsuen translates as Museum Zoo. This stop was mostly used by people who wanted to visit one of the museums in Ueno Park or the Ueno Zoo. It was also a convenient station for students of the Tokyo University of the Arts that has a campus in Ueno.

Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. and the Tokyo University of the Arts collaborated on this special project to revive the ghost station. Come check out the historical building and the new art installation it houses. It is centered around a new piece by theater director Shiroyama Hitsujiya and displays art designed by Akiko Sakata.

Former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen Station
“Wandering into the Rabbit Hole”
Open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 23, 2018 to Sunday, February 24, 2019 (closed during December 28 - January 4).

11:00 - 16:00, last admission at 15:30

Guided tours from 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 15:00 on open days. Maximum 10 participants per tour. Advance reservation required at http://goo.gl/D52rzR.

For more event details please see http://uenoyes.ueno-bunka.jp/

The Former Hakubutsukan Dobutsuen Station is one of the Historical Buildings Selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.