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
- 9:00 Meet at the hotel
- 9:10 Tsukiji Market
- 10:10 Hamarikyu
- 11:15 Imperial Palace Plaza
- 12:15 Lunch at Meiji Shrine
- 13:10 Meiji Shrine
- 14:00 Takeshita Street
- 14:40 Hachiko, Shibuya Crossing
- 15:00 After guiding to the anime shop, the tour ends
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Tokyo began at 9:00, when the guide met the guests at hotel, and finished at 15:00. The day ran to 6 hours from start to finish. It included lunch at Meiji Shrine at 12:15.
From there the group visited Tsukiji Market at 9:10, Hamarikyu at 10:10, Imperial Palace Plaza at 11:15, Meiji Shrine at 13:10, Takeshita Street at 14:00 and Hachiko, Shibuya Crossing at 14:40.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Nijubashimae to Meiji-jingumae by subway (210JPY); Harajuku to Shibuya by train (150JPY). Across 2 sections the fare came to 360JPY per person.
What Is a Full-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya
The guests were a group visiting from Europe. They had already visited Hiroshima, Kyoto, Takayama, and other places, and had prepared umbrellas as protection against the heat. At Tsukiji Market, they enjoyed oysters, tuna, satsuma-age fish cakes, melon, and muscat grapes. At Hamarikyu Gardens, the tidal pond and the tea house were unfortunately under construction, but they were interested to see the falconry and duck-hunting areas, the view of Mount Fuji, and the horse riding grounds. At the Imperial Palace Plaza, I explained about samurai, emperors, and shoguns. At Meiji Shrine, I explained about Shinto, Buddhism, and related topics. On Takeshita Street, some of the guests did some shopping. After walking across the Shibuya crossing, at the request of one of the guests, I guided them to an anime shop.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Nijubashimae～Meiji-jingumae | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Harajuku～Shibuya | 150JPY |
| Total | 360JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Tokyo tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at hotel at 9:00, and the tour finished at After guiding to the anime shop, at 15:00.
How long does the tour last?
About 6 hours in total, from 9:00 to 15:00.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Tsukiji Market, Hamarikyu, Imperial Palace Plaza, Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street and Hachiko, Shibuya Crossing.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 360JPY per person across 2 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Shuji is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Tokyo itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
My name is Shuji, meaning “Excellent Manager” in English. I was born in Hiroshima 1952. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
After graduating Kyoto Univ. I joined Mitsubishi-UFJ Bank, Osaka Branch where I met my wife who was a master of Englsih, so I started studying English.
The bank allowed me to go to Columbia Graduate business school in New York and got MBA Degree there. I worked in London and Manchester Branch.
During staying in U.K., I was introduced by BBC and Financial Times News Paper about my achievement there. I was selected as a personal assistant and interpreter for the President of the Bank.
I made many business trips with him to overseas countries. I experienced as an interpreter for meeting late Henry Kissinger and the President of Citi. Corp.
I changed the job to ORIX corporation, there I was promoted to a Board Member. When the company had acquired Dutch company, I was a member as an accountant to check the Dutch company’s statements of accounts.
My hobbies are cooking, singing a song, playing tennis & golf, enjoy seeing arts especially opera & musical, travel. I am also busy with taking care of grandchildren. I passed Government Licensed Guide Exam. in 2016. After I retired in 2017, I started guide job as a part timer. So far, I accomplished guide job more than 500 times.
My area coverage is from Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, Oaka, Hiroshima. I am also able to guide Tea Ceremony, Maiko/Geisha, Sushi Making, Calligraphy, Sumo, Samurai, etc. I can speak excellent English. My knowledge is very wide and deep about not only sightseeing places but Japanese History, Culture, Religion, Daily Life. I know many foreign countries and people. I love talking with all kinds of people including babies with interesting humor.
By the way, I look young for my age of 74.
Jul 16, 2026
salomons666
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Kyoto fun
Amazing with our guide Shuji very kind and acknowledge
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P9099TXkennethr
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A great day
A great day in the Company of mr. Shuji.
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A
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached…
Jun 28, 2026
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Tripadvisor review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached out immediately to make sure that we had a customized tour of what we wanted to see and do in Nara. The level of details in his emails was incredible! Not only did Shuji plan a great tour but he also went above and beyond by explaining the Japan rail system, the public transportation cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) and even told us exactly what trains, times and gates to exit so that our meetup was seamless. Been on a lot of tours around the world and have never had this level of communication. Once we started our tour, Shuji was articulate, knowledgeable and so much fun! Nara is amazing and Shuji made it so much better – please request him!
Jun 22, 2026
yeseniag981
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was…
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yeseniag981
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to see everything that we wanted while in Osaka. He even took my 5 year old into consideration and took us to the Pokémon store since he is a Pokémon fan. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide.