Yushima Tenman-gu
Ueno, Tokyo
- Daily
- 6:00 to 20:00
Hours are for the shrine grounds. The amulet counter is open 9:00 to 19:30.
Source: yushimatenjin.or.jp, checked 5 Oct 2026.
Yushima Tenman-gu is said to go back to 458 AD. It's dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning, so the courtyard is covered in wooden ema plaques from students asking for exam luck. The plum blossoms in February are spectacular.
More photos of Yushima Tenman-gu
Insider tip
Come in February for the plum blossom festival. January is the busiest month, when students pray before their entrance exams.
What the guides say about Yushima Tenman-gu
Spring runs from late March through early May, and it arrives in layers. Plum blossoms (ume) come first, in late February and early March, quiet and fragrant at shrines like Yushima Tenjin. Then the cherry trees take over, usually late March into early April. Once the cherries fall the city shifts again. Wisteria drapes the pergolas at Kameido Tenjin in late April, azaleas cover the hillside at Nezu Shrine through April and into May, and peonies open in the Ueno Park garden. The season doesn't stop when the sakura crowds leave.
February adds the first flowers. Plum blossoms open from mid-February at Yushima Tenman-gu, which runs a plum festival of its own, and at garden shrines across the city. Ume season is everything sakura season isn't. It's quiet and fragrant, nobody's in a hurry, and it blooms for weeks rather than days. It's the soft opening of spring, and catch it in late February and you'll watch the season turn without competing with a single tour group. The handoff from plum to cherry is covered in the spring guide.
Ikenohata and Yushima lie around Shinobazu Pond at the park's south-west corner. Ikenohata is the residential strip along the pond. Yushima, beyond it, has Yushima Tenman-gu, a scholar's shrine famous for plum blossom, and a dense local bar scene.
What's on at Yushima Tenman-gu
Upcoming events at Yushima Tenman-gu and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Kyosai Lives in Yushima, treasure hall exhibition at Yushima Tenmangu
暁斎が住まう湯島―描かれた神仏と寺社への思い
Time 10:00 to 16:30, last entry 16:00 Station Yushima (Chiyoda Line), 2 min walk
A special exhibition in the shrine's treasure hall of works by Kawanabe Kyosai on gods, Buddhas, shrines and temples.
bethom33, CC BY-SA 2.0 Yushima Tenjin Chrysanthemum Festival
湯島天神 菊まつり
Station Yushima Station (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line), Exit 3, 2 min walk
Long-running festival displaying around 2,000 chrysanthemums including rare cultivars and the famous Tomoe Nishiki depicted in Hokusai paintings. Features dioramas of figures dressed in clothes crafted entirely from chrysanthemums.
bethom33, CC BY-SA 2.0 Yushima Tenjin Ume Matsuri
湯島天神梅まつり
Station Yushima (Chiyoda Line), 2 min walk
About 300 plum trees, most of them white late-blooming varieties, flower in the grounds of this shrine to the god of scholarship, with weekend outdoor tea ceremonies and performances. Students praying for exam success crowd the shrine at the same time, so the atmosphere is part festival, part study hall.
bethom33, CC BY-SA 2.0 PERSONA 30th EX. (Persona series 30th anniversary exhibition)
PERSONA 30th EX.
Time Hours to be announced Station Ueno (JR), park exit, 3 min walk
An exhibition for the 30th anniversary of Atlus's Persona role-playing games, across both floors of the Ueno Royal Museum in Ueno Park. Tickets and hours aren't announced yet.
45th Ueno Royal Museum Grand Prize Exhibition
第45回 上野の森美術館大賞展
Station Ueno (JR Park exit), 3 min walk
An open-call painting exhibition of selected and prize-winning entries, shown together with the previous year's prize winners' exhibition in the museum gallery.
Smaller local events nearby
Kawanabe Kyosai special exhibition at Yushima Tenjin Treasure Hall Exhibition
23 Oct to 13 Dec · Yushima Tenjin Treasure Hall
A special exhibition of works by Kawanabe Kyosai tied to Yushima, running to 13 December in the shrine treasure hall, open 10:00 to 16:30 with last entry at 16:00. Closing days are listed on the shrine site.
Adults ¥500 · 10:00 to 16:30 · Map · Source: Yushima Tenjin · 湯島天満宮 宝物殿特別展「暁斎が住まう湯島」
Autumn Sky at Kyu Iwasaki-tei Gardens Performance
On now, until 29 Nov · Kyu Iwasaki-tei Gardens, Yushima
Music, displays and hands-on events at Kyu Iwasaki-tei Gardens, run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.
Free with garden admission · Map · Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association · 旧岩崎邸庭園「秋空の下で楽しむ旧岩崎邸庭園」開催 10月18日～11月29日
Nearby
Around Ueno
Museums, market chaos, and Tokyo's great public park
Ueno does double duty. On one side you've got the park with its museums, its shrine, and some of the most famous cherry blossoms in Japan. On the other you've got Ameyoko, a market street that still runs on shouting and cash. Do both in one day and it's one of the best free-ish days out in Tokyo.
Ueno has 12 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 museums, 3 bathhouses, 2 shrines and temples, 2 parks and gardens, 1 restaurant and 1 market. Read the Ueno guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Yushima Tenman-gu?
- 3-30-1 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都文京区湯島3-30-1).
- What are the opening hours of Yushima Tenman-gu?
- Daily 6:00 to 20:00. Hours are for the shrine grounds. The amulet counter is open 9:00 to 19:30.
- How do I get to Yushima Tenman-gu?
- The nearest station is Yushima (Chiyoda Line). Yushima Tenman-gu is in Ueno, Tokyo.
- How much does Yushima Tenman-gu cost?
- Nothing. Yushima Tenman-gu is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Yushima Tenman-gu?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Yushima Tenman-gu?
- February plum season.
Stay near Yushima Tenman-gu
Browse live availability and compare prices around Ueno.
Median US$230 a night across 28 listings within 0.6 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 20 October 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$179. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.
See hotels near Yushima Tenman-gu on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Tokyo earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.