This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 09:00 We met at the Hotel shuttle bus arrival point at JR Maihama Station, discussed the places they wanted to visit that day, and started the tour. The destinations were Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, Shinjuku Gyoen, and Akihabara. All transportation could be done with a Tokyo Metro one-day pass, but Mr. Rodney mentioned that he might possibly change the destinations, and just in case, he wanted to be able to ride any subway line, so we used the 900 yen common ticket. Having decided this, we traveled from JR Maihama to JR Shinkiba Station on the Keiyo Line, and purchased the 900 yen subway common one-day pass at Yurakucho Line Shinkiba Station.
- 10:10 Arrived at Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Also greeted Hachiko. When we were about to move to Harajuku, Ms. Malia requested, "I want to go to the Nintendo Store," so we walked from the Scramble Crossing to shop at the Nintendo Store and Pokemon Center on the 6th floor of Shibuya PARCO. After finishing, we moved to Harajuku.
- 11:35 Arrived at Meiji-jingumae. Guided them through Meiji Shrine.
- 12:40 Guided them through Takeshita Street. Everyone ate Marion Crepes. After finishing, they wanted to have lunch, so we moved to Shinjuku 3-chome to have lunch before visiting Gyoen.
- 13:50-14:40 Lunch at Keika Ramen. After finishing, headed to Shinjuku Gyoen.
- 14:50-15:40 Strolled through Shinjuku Gyoen. After finishing, when I confirmed we would go to Akihabara, they requested to change it to Ginza, so we went to Ginza. His wife wanted to visit a kimono shop.
- 16:10-17:30 Ms. Kakila purchased a kimono at "Kimono Tosui" on the 6th floor of the Ginza Kabukiza Gallery Building. Mr. Rodney and the two daughters wanted to stroll around nearby, so I took them to Kyukyodo for shopping.
- 17:30 Explained how to return to the hotel from Yurakucho Line Ginza-itchome Station, and ended the tour in front of Ginza Kabukiza.
Title: What Is a Private Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, and Ginza
The group very much liked Meiji Shrine, describing it as "a very serene place." On Takeshita Street, one of the guests wanted to try the crepes from a well-known shop, and just as expected, they said it was delicious, which was a relief. For lunch, they asked me to recommend something light and left the choice to me, so to be safe I suggested tonkotsu ramen at a reliable shop, and they kindly said it was "very delicious ramen," which put me at ease. The group also greatly enjoyed the Imperial Garden.
When the tour ended in front of the Kabukiza Theatre, the guests told me, "You are the best guide," so I feel that they were satisfied with the tour.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Maihama～Shinkiba | 180JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Shinkiba～Shibuya | 900JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Shibuya～Meiji-jingumae | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae～Shinjuku-sanchome | 0JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Shinjuku-gyoemmae～Ginza | 0JPY |
| Total | 1,080JPY | ||
I acquired national guide license in 2014, and I have been doing guide work full fledged since 2016. In my career before starting guide work, I was a business man and made more than 1,000 business trips both abroad and in Japan, and that experience is my foundation as a guide because I came to know so many places both abroad and in Japan. I have been taking care of both group and individual tourists, and the number of foreign guests I have taken care is close to 2,500 so far. I am based in Tokyo, but I can cover guide work in many prefectures throughout Japan. When I take care of foreign guests, my major concern is to listen attentively to them, find out what they want to know and do in Japan, and give them appropriate guiding in accordance with what I heard from my guests. I would like to provide tailor made tour as much as possible for every precious guest who kindly chose Japan as the tour destination.
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our…
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our first day in Tokyo so memorable and enjoyable! He shared his knowledge and love for the city as he showed us around. We now understand how to navigate the train system, and he even left us a list of how to explore other areas of the city by train. Our tour was a fun way to get acquainted with this amazing city!
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture,…
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture, history and
society. He picked and showed us more than We expected. Also he was good Company for
both me, my husbond and our son aged 22.
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We…
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We loved seeing all of the sights on the tour and Minoru was extremely knowledge about all things in Tokyo and else-wear in Japan. We were able to adjust the stops due to the heat (it was up to 35C!) and Minoru had great suggestions for things to check out. Highly recommend!
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored…
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored to our needs (and the weather) and delivered so attentively by our guide Minoru Asai. He was in contact in advance of the day to understand our interests, and advised us on practicalities and remained flexible throughout the day as required. His knowledge, and passion, for the history of Tokyo made the day! Could not have asked for more.