Negishi, famed for its bush warblers since the Edo era, still keeps its old houses and lanes
The closest neighborhoods in the same city.
In the Edo period, Negishi was known for its Japanese bush warblers, and writers and artists built their homes and villas here one after another. Some blocks of Negishi escaped both the Great Kanto Earthquake and the WWII air raids, so old houses and old alleys still remain today.
The area from Ueno to Negishi has many temples, and few tall buildings or high-rise apartments. Negishi sits below the bluff, while Uenosakuragi sits up on the plateau, with the JR railway tracks running between them. Uguisudani Station has a footbridge over the tracks leading to Ueno Park outside the neighborhood.
The station has only a North Exit and a South Exit, and in the morning the platform speakers play the call of a bush warbler, echoing the character for "warbler" (uguisu) in the station's name. East of the station is a strip of love hotels, and beyond that, there are izakaya and small alleys.
For everyday shopping, this neighborhood ranks 45th out of 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo, the best-ranked item in this neighborhood; overall convenience ranks 63rd. On the street in front of the North Exit, there are convenience stores, drugstores, and fast food shops.
About five minutes' walk from the North Exit is Shiki-an, where the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki once lived, and across from it is the Calligraphy Museum. On the other side of the tracks, Uenosakuragi sits up on the high ground, and outside the temple grounds of Kan'ei-ji, homes, small shops, and temples stand side by side.
Healthcare ranks 140th, the weakest of the three convenience items. Based on our street photos, greenery ranks 295th, the weakest item in this neighborhood. The Keihin-Tohoku Line runs Rapid service from 10am to 3pm during the day, and during this time it skips Uguisudani entirely, so you can only take the Yamanote Line.
Kan'ei-ji was founded in 1625, and most of Uenosakuragi 1-chome today is still its temple grounds. Negishi was part of Kanasugi Village in the Edo period, and in 1646 it became territory belonging to Kan'ei-ji.
The name Uguisudani is said to come from Imperial Prince Koben, the head priest of Kan'ei-ji during the Genroku era. He thought the bush warblers of Edo had too thick an accent in their calls, so he had the potter Ogata Kenzan bring warblers from Kyoto and release them in this area - though this is only one theory.
In the Meiji era, Masaoka Shiki moved into Shiki-an in 1894 and lived there until his death in 1902. Shiki-an was destroyed in an air raid in 1945, and in 1950 his disciples rebuilt it to roughly its original form. The painter Nakamura Fusetsu moved across from Shiki-an in 1915, and in 1936 he opened the Calligraphy Museum at his own expense.
Compared with the 395 Tokyo neighborhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
Hospitals with inpatient beds (2020 data), public elementary and junior high schools whose catchment covers this area, high schools and universities within 1 km, stations, parks of 1 ha or more, and large shopping malls and department stores. Many Tokyo junior high students attend private schools, so junior high catchments are only a guide.
Maps show the shops and the sights. What a street is like, you only know by walking it. TidyMap uses AI street imagery analysis and public facility data to turn each area's street environment and everyday convenience into something you can compare. Search an address and look at the street outside first.
How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
TidyMap rates the street environment and everyday convenience. It does not assess the home itself, safety, noise or actual living experience. Street environment scores use AI assessments of imagery; convenience scores use public facility data.
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