Ueno Zoo Monorail Opening Day

What Is Ueno Zoo Monorail Opening Day?

December 17th marks the day in 1957 when the "Ueno Suspended Line" opened within Ueno Zoo in Tokyo — recognized as the first monorail in Japan to ever enter actual commercial operation.

A Surprising Fact About "Japan's First Monorail"

Many people picture the Tokyo Monorail (running between Hamamatsucho and Haneda Airport), which opened ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, when they think of Japan's first monorail.

• The actual first: the suspended-type "Ueno Suspended Line" inside Ueno Zoo actually opened earlier, in 1957
• How it differs from the Tokyo Monorail: the Tokyo Monorail was the first built for full-scale passenger transport, but the Ueno line beat it into commercial operation by seven years
• Its scale: running about 330 meters between the zoo's east and west gardens, it was one of the shortest railway lines in all of Japan

A Public Transit Line Operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation

The Ueno Suspended Line wasn't an amusement park ride — it was a genuine public transportation line, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation under the Local Railway Act (later the Railway Business Act). Beloved by generations of families visiting the zoo, it was suspended from operation in November 2019 due to aging vehicles and equipment, and was formally discontinued on December 27, 2023.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Look up the history and old photos of the Ueno Zoo Monorail
• Compare it with other monorail lines in Japan, like the Tokyo Monorail
• Learn about the broader history of Japan's railway and transit development
• Visit the zoo and look for traces of the now-defunct monorail

Japan's Monorail History, Quietly Begun in a Corner of the Zoo

Japan's very first monorail began quietly inside a zoo, years before the world-famous Tokyo Monorail. Let December 17th be a day to reflect on this small railway line, whose 66-year history has now come to a close.