The entrance to the cafe (Photo: Daderot / CC0 1.0)

Shin-Uguisu Tei in Ueno Park

A lovely Japanese sweets cafe

The entrance to the cafe (Photo: Daderot / CC0 1.0)
Sleiman Azizi   - 3 min read

Tucked away in Ueno Park lies a little piece of sweet tooth heaven. Opened in 1915, Shin-Uguisu Tei is a traditionally-minded cafe known for its uguisu dango.

Dango is essentially a sweet dumpling made from rice flour (mochiku) and uguisu dango is one of its many varieties.

Named after the Japanese bush warbler (uguisu) whose melodic cry is famous when spring starts, uguisu dango comprises three dumplings of differing colours - green, red and white. Sweet red bean (azuki) or white bean (shiro-an) pastes are used as fillings.

Uguisu dango, nice texture, nice flavours
Uguisu dango, nice texture, nice flavours

For ¥600, a set of three dumplings will be served with a perfectly matched cup of green tea. Everything here is handmade, giving further flavour to an already quintessential Japanese culinary experience. A springtime visit surrounded by blooming cherry blossoms is heaven. A takeaway 'omiyage' option for ¥650 is also available.

Cherry blossoms on the way to the cafe
Cherry blossoms on the way to the cafe (Photo: Hetarllen Mumriken / CC BY-SA 2.0)

The approach to the cafe is a picturesque leafy pathway where you'll have the choice of dining indoors or out. Go with whichever tickles your fancy; they're both fine.

Hand drawn menus also feature. Charming doesn't do them justice; they really are lovely. Don’t worry if you can't read Japanese, as there is an English menu to help you get by.

Curiously, while Shin-Uguisu Tei's signature dish is a delicate sweet, they also offer a warm-your-belly bowl of oden, a Japanese hot pot of varying ingredients stewed in a light dashi broth that is great during the cooler months.

Next time you visit Ueno Park, do yourself a favour and make your way to Shin-Uguisu Tei. With delicate flavours and an understated ambience, you can't go wrong.

Getting there

A 5-minute walk from the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station. Head towards the zoo and turn down the left lane at the entrance. The cafe is at the end of the lane and open 10-5pm daily, except Mondays.

More info

Find out more about Ueno Park.

Sleiman Azizi

Sleiman Azizi @sleiman.azizi

I'm a Japanese Permanent Resident with over 650 published articles on Japan as well as 5 English language books inspired by traditional Japanese literature.I'm also a Japan Travel expert for Tokyo, so if you've anything to say about Japan's never ending capital - or just Japan in general - don't ...