Nikko Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Akey
October, 2024
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
- 11:00 Meet up at Tobu Shimo-Imaichi Station in Tochigi Prefecture ~ 11:15 Take the limited express to Tobu Nikko Station ~ 11:35 Board the bus from Tobu Nikko Station to Chuzenjiko Onsen Station ~ 12:30 Visit Lake Chuzenji ~ Lunch ~
- 13:20 Kegon Falls ~ 14:10 Chuzenjiko Onsen bus stop ~ 15:00 Nishisando Entrance ~ 15:20 Nikko Toshogu Shrine ~ 16:10 Futarasan Shrine ~ 16:40 Shinkyo Bridge ~ 16:50 Tobu Nikko Station
Can You Do a Rainy-Day Private Tour of Nikko and Toshogu Shrine? A Licensed Guide's Report
It rained all day, which made the weather unsuitable for sightseeing. The guests were a young group visiting Japan. As they were flying home the following day, they participated with almost no Japanese cash on hand. They had mistakenly believed that the tour included everything, such as meal costs and the admission fee to Toshogu Shrine. Since they had no money even for lunch, they quickly withdrew cash from an ATM at a post office, but it seems they only withdrew about 20 euros' worth. This was not enough to cover the admission fee to Toshogu Shrine either, and they said it was fine not to go in. However, coming all the way to Nikko without visiting Toshogu would be meaningless, so I paid the admission for both of them on their behalf. I only had about 5,000 yen in cash myself, which is something I need to reflect on. I checked whether they had money for the bus fare back, and they said they were fine, but neither the restaurants nor Toshogu Shrine accepted credit cards, which was inconvenient. One of the guests commented that Toshogu is the most gorgeous shrine in the world, and I was glad they were able to visit it. Because rain was forecast, I brought raincoats for both of them just in case. They only had one umbrella between them, and since one of the guests had no raincoat, I gave them a raincoat I had purchased at a 100-yen shop to use. It was very helpful.
Click here for more details: Nikko Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Tobu Shimo-Imaichi Station～Tobu Nikko Station | 710JPY |
| Section 2 | Bus | Tobu Nikko Station～Chuzenjiko Onsen-mae | 1,250JPY |
| Section 3 | Bus | Lake Chuzenji Bus Terminal～Nishisando Entrance | 1,150JPY |
| Section 4 | Bus | Shinkyo Bridge～Tobu Nikko Station | 220JPY |
| Total | 3,330JPY | ||
Hello, new friends! I’m Akio Yasui. I was born in Kyoto City and graduated from Doshisha University in Kyoto and moved to Tokyo for working. I used to work for international companies as a marketing advertising specialist. I have been to fourty five different countries until now and been to all prefectures in Japan.
I have deep knowledge of both traditional and modern culture of Japan based on my experience in Kyoto, Tokyo and their surrounding areas such as Kamakura, Nikko, Nara, Osaka. I can design exclusive and the optinum itineray for you and guide you not only to ordinary tour courses but also casual or hidden locations. My task is making you enjoy Japan and like our culture and people. Let me guide you any where you want to visit and enjoy Japan together.
Mar 30, 2026
851murraya
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Good time in Hakone
Akey did a great job setting the…
Mar 30, 2026
851murraya
Tripadvisor review: Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Good time in Hakone
Akey did a great job setting the itinerary and providing all the logistical details. He was also
very knowledgeable about the history of the places we visited. His English was easy to
understand.
Oct 11, 2025
S
Stephen_M
Incredible day in Hakone
Viator review: Hakone 8 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Mr Akey showed me an amazing…
Oct 11, 2025
S
Stephen_M
Incredible day in Hakone
Viator review: Hakone 8 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Mr Akey showed me an amazing time in Hakone. He planned out a very detailed itinerary based completely on my interests. The hot spring onsen was just what I needed to relax after long travel and a day of walking around the day before. I was hesitant to do the ropeway due to my fear of heights, but am so glad I went. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and I was lucky enough to have a clear enough day to get some incredible views of Mt Fuji. Highly recommend.
May 4, 2025
AliS7090
Great experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide from Yokohama
Akito, our private tour leader, was a fabulous…
May 4, 2025
AliS7090
Great experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide from Yokohama
Akito, our private tour leader, was a fabulous person who was kind and had a deep knowledge of ancient and modern Japanese history. He took us on a fun adventure around the bustling Tokoyo, showing us both the posh and modern and local treasures. You should be prepared to walk a lot 🙂
Mar 30, 2025
Mark_B
You can tailor make this…
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
You can tailor make this to anything…
Mar 30, 2025
Mark_B
You can tailor make this…
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
You can tailor make this to anything you want and the guide delivered exactly what we asked for, along with some extras and very good commentary to explain it all. Only thing is be prepared to travel on subway which can take some time, so make sure what you want to see is geographically close to maximise your sight-seeing.