Ueno is part of the historical Shitamachi (literally "low city")
district of Japan, a working class area rather than where the
aristocrats and rich merchants lived. Today the immediate area, due to
its close proximity to a major transportation hub, retains high land
value but just a short walk away to the east or north reveals some of
the less glitzy architecture of Tokyo.
Ueno Park and Ueno Station are
also home to a large percentage of Tokyo's homeless population. Though
nearly invisible in other parts of Tokyo, the homeless population in
Ueno can be found sleeping or communing in large numbers around the
"ike" (ponds) of this district
