I grew up going to Ueno. I would go almost daily – my other childhood favorite was the Mitsukoshi Department Store pet store. But the zoo was really a highlight. I loved watching the small water turtles in the pond and of course the pandas. I loved seeing the zoo in the distance and walking through the gates. I felt like every animal was my favorite and could watch them daily and not get tired of them. I still go back when I am in Japan and though some improvements have been made, I do wish the animals had more room. I am just as interested in the zoo visitors as the animals. Japanese are interesting to watch at the zoo, a bit more reserved and seem to watch more closely what the animals are doing. I lived in Japan during childhood, and the Ueno Zoo was one of the few places I remember seeing so many Japanese adults laughing out loud.