On this day, it was very cold and the wind was strong, so my body was freezing. I decided to go inside for something warm! The cafeteria was filled with rows of strollers and groups of moms, as well as noisy children - a typical scene in the zoo. I warmed up with a hot coffee and then continued exploring the zoo.

Shortly after the park opened, the line for the pandas was still short, and I got to meet Shanshan for the first time♡ But soon after, the wait time became 40 minutes. Kansai, where Shirahama Adventure World and Oji Zoo are located, is really blessed. You don't have to wait in line, and you can stop and watch closely♪ Ueno Zoo is much bigger than I imagined! Had lunch inside the park. Hayashi Rice for 794 yen was delicious with a regular demi-glace sauce (*^^*) Pork Cutlet Curry for 815 yen Panda Soft Serve for 380 yen Vanilla soft serve with caramel sauce drizzled on top, and granola at the bottom. The chocolate with Shanshan's print on it is cute o(^o^)o

Continuing from June 2019, here we are, the three of us - me, my friend Nunu-chan, and Chibitsunu - on a 1-night, 2-day trip to Tokyo. On the second day, we woke up early to visit the Shanshan family at Ueno Zoo. Nunu: "I wonder if Shanshan is awake..." He was awake! He was wandering around the larger garden, sniffing out his breakfast of bamboo and leaves scattered around. Chibitsunu: "Shanshan is quite the gourmet, isn't he?" He was munching on the bamboo nodes. Nunu: "I wonder if the nodes are really that delicious?" After eating the nodes, he just left the bamboo lying there and moved on to the leaves. Shanshan's sitting posture is incredibly cute, isn't it? Chibitsunu: "Looks like an office lady having lunch on a park bench." Even though there was still plenty of food left, Shanshan moved on to the next spot. He had mud on his bottom from sitting on the ground. Nunu: "Shanshan's back view is so cute." He then sat down and started eating the leaves. His mother, Panda Shinshin, eats in such an elegant manner, just like a lady having lunch in the park. Shanshan then moved again to the other side of the fallen tree. We managed to catch a glimpse of him through a gap. We then moved to the next garden. Papa Panda, Ririi, was enjoying his meal under the tower as usual. Chibitsunu: "Ririi is always so dignified when he eats." So, we decided it was time to have lunch ourselves. After watching Shanshan and Ririi in the morning, we headed to the West Garden for lunch. The construction of a new panda enclosure was progressing steadily, expected to be completed around March 2020. When the new enclosure is ready, the Shanshan family will move there. We had the Bamboo Peel Panda Bento for lunch at the West Garden cafeteria. Nunu: "Looks delicious." The meal included Chinese-style rice, with black beans for eyes and nose, sweet and savory simmered shiitake mushrooms for ears, char siu for hands, and silk pods for the bamboo. Chibitsunu: "Nunu-chan doesn't like shiitake mushrooms, so I gave her mine." We also visited the famous immobile bird, the Shoebill, and greeted it. As always, it had a scary face. Nunu: "Hello, Shoebill senpai." In the afternoon, we returned to the East Garden to visit the Shanshan family once again.

Ueno may feel like a faraway place when you live on the opposite side of Tokyo, but it's actually a nice area to visit. I had lunch at Ueno Zoo for the first time, and it was a great experience. Watching the distant rhinos from behind the glass while enjoying omurice made me feel like I was on a school trip. It's a good place to visit, especially during less crowded times.

When I visited Ueno Zoo during Golden Week, it was so hot that I bought shaved ice! It was a lifesaver on such a hot day!! They generously poured syrup on top, and it was delicious. The container also had an original design and was cute.

A few minutes walk from Tosho-gu Shrine, we arrived at Ueno Zoo! The zoo is not yet open, but there is already a line forming. It's early March, so it's not winter break yet. Groups of children in uniforms are excitedly waiting in line. They are not elementary school students, but even younger kids. There are so many different types of uniforms out there. There are kids who look big enough to wear a backpack, holding hands and waiting patiently. Let's line up and enjoy together. We quickly joined the line to see the pandas at the Panda House. It was better to see the pandas first rather than waiting in line for other exhibits. And surprisingly, our first encounter was with Shan Shan, with no sign of movement from his backside. Will Shan Shan grow bigger and become more visible in the future? The zoo has plenty of fast food shops and dining areas. There was a restaurant at the back of the zoo on the west side. Since we hadn't had breakfast, we decided to have a late breakfast. It was early, so the place was not crowded, but by the time we finished eating, it was almost full despite having a lot of seats. Lucky us! They even serve beer. The chicken basket came with fried chicken, edamame salad, potato, and fluffy bread. The beef curry was surprisingly affordable for a place like this, under 700 yen, and the portion was generous. I topped my chicken with the curry and enjoyed it. The bread was warm and delicious. I was in a good mood. The official shop was filled with panda merchandise. There were plushies of the newborn pink panda and one with a slight panda pattern after 10 days, made to reflect their weight at that time. Of course, I bought one!

I went to Ueno Zoo. I had already eaten, so I decided to stop here for drinks and something sweet... They had beer available, so I ordered without thinking. I also got some fries and soft serve ice cream! They have outdoor seating as well. It felt strange to drink at a zoo, but it was nice. I will definitely stop by again when I come back!

At the end of August, Tnukko and Chibitsunu came on a 1-night, 2-day trip to Tokyo with 4 friends. Upon arriving in Tokyo, they first visited Ueno Zoo. Chibitsunu said, "I came to see Shan-chan." The panda mosaic at the entrance was cute. They saw the panda family, including the father panda Li Li, and the mother panda Shin Shin and baby panda Shan Shan. They observed the pandas during two viewing sessions, enjoying their antics and cute behaviors. After the zoo visit, they had lunch at the zoo's restaurant, trying the limited edition Shan Shan-themed menu. The salted citrus udon was delicious and beautifully presented. The meal was enjoyed in the cool comfort of the restaurant. The dessert, including shaved ice and apple cake, was also delightful. The panda-themed table mats and chopstick bags were cute souvenirs they wanted to take home.

Pandas are so cute, right? Well, I don't remember them tasting particularly delicious, but they are just so cute!!! Even the bag with disposable chopsticks is panda-themed! I mean, they are so cute that I seriously felt like taking home about 100 of them... Haha, I wonder if they still have this menu item...

As an adult, I watched Panda! Go, Panda! and despite being an old man, I was captivated by the cuteness of Panny. So, I visited Ueno Park for the first time in a while. I was so excited like a kid. I took a break here and enjoyed some cute pancakes that seemed to be for children.

Beef curry and draft beer. Under the wisteria trellis outside. The curry is moderately spicy and overall, it's pretty good.

I used this place for a break at Ueno Zoo. They had Hokkaido milk soft serve, but I chose the panda soft serve because it looked cute. Not only does it look good, but the soft serve is rich and delicious!

Panda soft serve ice cream. I think it used to have berry sauce before? Now it has chocolate sauce, but the panda chocolate is the same. Anyway, you end up walking quite a bit to see all the animals at the zoo, so the soft serve ice cream tastes delicious. (^o^)

I had Kenchin Udon for 880 yen. It's been a while since I had a meal in the park. I've been sleeping all morning, but I was able to see a squirrel from my hammock when I woke up. So cute!

Cold citrus udon, panda strawberry soft serve ice cream. The menu is not very impressive, but this is the only place where you can eat inside the building and it's cool.

Omuhayashi, salad, and beer are crowded inside, but the turnover is fast so it's okay to wait. If you sit outside, you can be seated right away.

I went to Ueno Zoo to see the slightly grown-up panda cub, Shan Shan. I thought it would be a calm time to visit, but there was a long line before the opening, with a 2-hour wait! Of course, I couldn't make it in time for the feeding time, but I was able to see Shan Shan playing around with Shin Shin and it was so moving - too cute! Since he will soon be weaned and will return to China next year, this may be the last time to see this scene, so I burned it into my memory. When I came to Ueno, I planned to have lunch while drinking at a standing bar near the station, but I didn't have enough time, so I decided to use the restaurant inside the zoo. There are several dining facilities inside the zoo, but the largest one is the Nishi-en Shokudo. You order at the counter and receive your food in a fast-food style. Among the meal-centered menu items like curry and udon, I found a menu item that seemed drinkable! - Chicken Basket 750 yen I decided on this. The only alcohol available was draft beer for 550 yen, which came in a plastic cup with an animal pattern. The temperature and foam were quite good, and the illustration was cute, raising my spirits. The Chicken Basket includes 2 pieces of fried chicken like KFC, mixed bean salad, french fries, and a white round bun. It's a set that wouldn't look out of place at a trendy cafe. My perception of zoo cafeterias serving retort curry or dry yakisoba was overturned. I felt the corporate effort and realized that the times had changed. I was able to have a surprisingly satisfying lunch and drink.

I went to Ueno Zoo on a scorching day to see Xiang Xiang. I had to wait for about 20 minutes around 12:30. I made sure to stay hydrated to avoid heatstroke while walking around, and luckily I found this food court when I started feeling tired. Although they offer curry and udon, this time I just stopped by for a drink. There were plenty of empty seats before 3 o'clock. The customers around me were ordering shaved ice for 280 yen, but we ordered squash for 420 yen, soft serve ice cream for 300 yen, and cafe latte for 280 yen. Maybe because we were tired, but everything was really delicious! Especially the cafe latte was great. It was really nice to take a break and I was grateful for that! The prices were also affordable and we left satisfied!

When I visited Ueno Zoo, I had the Panda Soft Serve (380 yen) at the Nishi-en Shokudo. It's a cup of soft serve ice cream on top of granola, with strawberry chocolate drizzled on top. The taste is pretty average (the chocolate is quite sweet), but it's cute because it has Shan Shan's chocolate on top. The regular soft serve in a cone is 300 yen, but I couldn't resist getting the Panda Soft Serve for the Instagram-worthy photo. The Nishi-en Shokudo has a rest area with a baby room. Men are allowed to enter if there are no women using it. The facilities include a private nursing room with a curtain, one diaper changing station, a milk warming machine, and a sink. It's a bit small compared to the other rooms, and it can get crowded during lunchtime (I recommend going to the one near the Ikenohata entrance if the baby room at the rest area is busy).