Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Lance
November, 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.
Tour Itinerary
- 13.00 Hotel－13.10～14.10 Imperial Palace East Gardens－14:40～15.45 Asakusa－16.15 Meiji Shrine－17.00 Meiji Jingu Gaien
What Is a Private Tokyo Walking Tour of the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Asakusa, and Meiji Shrine Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors currently based in the Middle East. Ahead of the tour they had expressed a wish to eat sushi in Shibuya after finishing at Meiji Shrine, so I made a reservation at a sushi restaurant in advance.
At the Hyakunin-bansho (Hundred Guards' Barracks) in the East Gardens, I explained that "20 of the guards were ninja," which prompted the question, "Who was stronger, the samurai or the ninja?" In Asakusa, I was also asked a difficult question: "Why is Daikokuten black in color?" On the spot I answered that "it cannot be said in one way" and that "it originally came from India, where the color was black from the beginning." After the tour, based on what I researched online, I replied by email: "In the Edo period ninja were not permitted to carry swords, so in a one-on-one fight I think the samurai would have won, but a ninja using the art of creating duplicates of oneself might have been able to overwhelm a samurai." I also explained, "Daikokuten means 'the great black deity,' and in ancient India black represented 'greatness' and 'protection against evil.'" I received a reply saying "Great thanks."
In the East Gardens we went from the Otemon Gate to the castle keep base, then from Shiomizaka slope through the Ninomaru Garden and out via the Hirakawamon Gate. By that point the guests seemed quite tired. The Ninomaru Garden and Asakusa appeared to be very much enjoyed, but at the final stop, Meiji Shrine, there was a pitfall (due to my insufficient checking). Starting this month, the closing time was moved 30 minutes earlier, and the shrine closed at 16:10, five minutes before our arrival.
We hurried back to the Meiji Jingu Gaien area and switched to a stroll along the ginkgo tree-lined avenue. When I said, "I'm sorry it's just a walking path," the guests warmly replied, "The atmosphere is very nice." An illumination event called "Tokyo Lights" was about to be held at the Gaien, but the guests did not go in.
While sharing a taxi to Shibuya, the guests mentioned that they would revisit Meiji Shrine on their own on Thursday, so I decided to guide them free of charge on Thursday. I will be very careful from now on.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Takebashi～Asakusa | 209JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Meiji-jingumae | 252JPY |
| Total | 461JPY | ||
I have been working as a tour guide once a week since 2024.
I grew up in Osaka and studied in Kyoto,
I have been working for the lvestock division of the national organization of agricultural cooperatives.
Japan depends on imports for most of its livestock feed ingredients.
I visited 10 countries on business and stayed in New Orleans working for a subsidiary company for 3 years.
I visited 10 other countries with my wife for sightseeing.
I also started writing Haiku, Japanese traditional poem, after retiring.
One of my favorite is ” Bundled up, you are like a Matryoshka.”
Looking forward to see you!
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice…
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice and helped us . to learn so much. His English is really good and he is extremely well prepared.
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour…
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour guide was fantastic. From the time we paired, we messaged on WhatsApp as he built our customizable tour day! He gave great suggestions and asked great questions to build a wonderful day.
The day itself was perfect. He met us at the hotel, and guided us fantastically. He had detailed history and facts to share and was well prepared to ensure that we had everything we needed.
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our…
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our amazing and thorough tour guide and already prepared an itinerary for us based on his recommendations and our preferences well before arrived in Japan.
On the day of the guided tour – there was a brief introduction on Japanese history – and became the common thread as he brought us through each site and guided us on the subways and introduced us to amazing small mom and pop & artisan shops we would have otherwise never found!
Lots of walking so make sure to wear super comfy shoes but 10/10 would do it again!
Learned so much in a short time and was able to spend the rest of days in Tokyo shopping and going to other places.
Thank you, Lance, for sharing with us your beautiful country! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He…
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He had a good sense of humor and was so kind to meet us at our Air BnB, which was a bit out of the way. He gave us a great crash course on Japanese history before heading out on our adventure around Tokyo, visiting shrines, markets, a museum and garden. It was so helpful to have him with us navigating the train system, and he took us to an amazing sushi place for a lovely lunch. All in all, it was really fun and we were able to better appreciate the places we visited with him providing information and history along the way. Would definitely recommend!…