Photo Spot · Ueno
Shinobazu Pond & Bentendo 不忍池と弁天堂
An octagonal Buddhist hall on an island in Ueno's Shinobazu Pond, surrounded in summer by a sea of lotus leaves taller than people, with modern towers rising behind: a striking old-meets-new frame.
About
Bentendo, dedicated to Benzaiten, goddess of music and fortune, sits on an island in the southern pond of Shinobazu, reached by a stone causeway. Its red octagonal hall was rebuilt in 1958 after wartime destruction. The pond is best known for its lotus: from July to August a dense forest of giant leaves and pink flowers covers the water, and early mornings bring the flowers fully open. Photographers frame the hall's red roof rising out of the green leaves, or shoot from the causeway toward the high-rise apartments of Ikenohata for contrast. In winter the bare lotus stalks make graphic patterns, and migrating ducks and cormorants gather on the water. At night the hall is lit and reflected in the open water to the north.
Highlights
- Red octagonal hall on an island in the pond
- Summer lotus leaves and pink flowers covering the water
- High-rise towers behind for an old-meets-new contrast
- Winter patterns of dried lotus stalks
- Cherry trees along the causeway in spring
Tips
- Lotus flowers open in the early morning; arrive by 7:00 in July for the best blooms.
- Use a 70-200 mm to isolate the hall's roof above the leaves.
- The causeway and pond paths are open around the clock; the hall itself has daytime hours.
- Combine with Ueno Park and the Shitamachi Museum by the pond.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Shitamachi MuseumMuseum · 130 m away
- Gojo-ten ShrineShrine · 180 m away
- Tokyo Tourist Information Center · Keisei UenoTourist Info · 230 m away
- Keisei Ueno Station · Staffed Luggage Storage & Lockers (Skyliner)Luggage Storage · 240 m away
- Yokoyama Taikan Memorial HallMuseum · 260 m away
- Saigo Takamori StatueStatue & Monument · 270 m away
- Keisei Ueno StationTransit Hub · 280 m away
- Yodobashi Camera Multimedia UenoCamera Store · 310 m away