Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station

Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen Station (Japanese: 博物館動物園駅) is a former station of the Keisei Electric Railway in Taito-ku, Tokyo. It is located between Nippori Station and Keisei Ueno Station.^[1] It opened in 1933, but was closed on 1 April 1997 due to the length of the platform being too short for most trains. The station was formally abandoned in April 2004.^[2] The station building and platform are still in existence and have been renovated and opened to the public in 2018.^[3][4]

Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station 博物館動物園駅
Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen in March 1997
General information
Location	13-23 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku, Tokyo Japan
Coordinates	35°43′7.1″N 139°46′24.5″E
Operated by	Keisei Electric Railway
Line(s)	Keisei Main Line
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Underground
History
Opened	December 10 1933
Closed	April 1 1997
Passengers
FY1996	249 daily
Former services
Preceding station Keisei Following station Keisei Ueno Terminus Main Line Local Nippori towards Narita Airport Terminal 1
Location Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station Location within Tokyo

History

Before the modern-day Keisei Ueno Station even existed, at the beginning of the Showa era, rail designers had planned to build a tiny station halfway between Nippori and Ueno Park stations. Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station opened to the public in 1933. Ueno was second only to Asakusa in terms of prestige among Tokyo's shopping and entertainment districts at the time. Many had hoped for a new way into the neighborhood, and the new rail station made that a reality. However, this particular desire was quite challenging to achieve.^[5]

Gallery

• 
  Station platforms, 1997
• 
  Ticket gate, 1997
• 
  Current view of the station in 2019
• 
  Inside the station during a temporary art show, 2018