1An ascent or climb — the act of going up a slope or mountain, or the upward part of a route.
この山の上りは急だから気をつけて。
Be careful — the climb up this mountain is steep.
自転車で長い上りを越えるのは大変だ。
Getting over a long uphill stretch on a bicycle is tough.
登山の上りでは休憩を多めに取った。
During the climb up the mountain, I took extra rest breaks.
2An 'up' train — one heading toward the starting point of its line (usually a major city); also called 上り列車.
上りに乗れば30分で東京に着きますよ。
If you take the up train, you'll reach Tokyo in 30 minutes.
朝の上りは通勤客で満員だ。
The up trains in the morning are packed with commuters.
上りの最終電車を逃してしまった。
I missed the last up train.
3Traveling toward a major urban center — especially heading toward Tokyo from the countryside.
大学進学のために上りする学生が増えている。
More students are moving up to the city for university.
田舎から上りのバスに乗って朝早く出発した。
I took an upbound bus from the countryside and set off early in the morning.
4The upstream direction of a river, or an uphill gradient; also used prefix-like (e.g. 上り勾配, 'upward slope').
この道路はしばらく上りが続く。
This road continues uphill for a while.
列車は上り勾配に差し掛かった。
The train came to an upward gradient.
サケは川の上りを泳いで産卵場所を目指す。
Salmon swim upstream toward their spawning grounds.