Tokyo in Half a Day: Guide through Meiji Shrine — Guide Nobby

March, 2025

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

  • 8:30 Guide (Kogure) arrives at Hotel Akihabara
  • 8:45 Meet the guests at the hotel lobby, then conduct a briefing
  • 8:55 Depart from Hotel Akihabara
  • 9:03 Depart from Suehirocho Station, head to Asakusa via the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
  • 9:13 Arrive at Asakusa Station, walk toward Kaminarimon
  • 9:15–10:25 Guide through Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Street
  • (After guiding the observation deck on the 8F of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, explain and guide through Kaminarimon, Nakamise Street, Hozomon, the five-story pagoda, the giant straw sandal, omikuji, the incense burner, the purification fountain, the main hall, and Asakusa Shrine)
  • 10:32 Depart from Asakusa Station, head to Shibuya Station via the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, transfer to the JR Yamanote Line at Shibuya Station and head to Harajuku Station
  • 11:10 Arrive at Harajuku Station, walk toward Meiji Shrine
  • 11:15–11:55 Guide through Meiji Shrine
  • (Explain the first torii gate, the sake barrels, the wine barrels, the second torii gate, the waka poems, the main hall, ema, etc.)
  • 12:00–12:15 Point out and explain Harajuku Takeshita Street and Omotesando
  • 12:16 Depart from Harajuku Station, head to Shibuya Station via the JR Yamanote Line
  • 12:20–12:40 Guide through the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Hachiko
  • 12:45–13:20 Lunch at Sushisei on Shibuya Dogenzaka
  • 13:20–13:40 After the Tokyo sightseeing, assist the guests in purchasing their train tickets to Kusatsu and Shinkansen tickets to Osaka at the Midori-no-Madoguchi ticket office at Shibuya Station
  • 13:40 The guests wish to visit Shibuya Takeshita Street again, so see them off at the JR Shibuya Station ticket gate and part ways. End of work

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like for First-Time Visitors? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of long-time friends from North America who had known each other for over 20 years, joined by another member of the group. In our advance communication, the group had requested tickets to an anime event at Tokyo Big Sight in March, asking if it would be possible to purchase them before they sold out. I bought the tickets in advance and handed them over today, which delighted the group very much. The guests had arrived in Japan the day before, and today was their first Tokyo tour. Despite their long journey, they thoroughly enjoyed Senso-ji Temple, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya, taking many photos at each location. On Nakamise Street in Asakusa, they bought ningyo-yaki and enjoyed eating it, and everyone drew omikuji fortunes (some drew good fortunes and some drew bad ones), which they enjoyed. They also purchased omamori charms at both Senso-ji Temple and Meiji Shrine. I explained the difference between temples and shrines, the respective methods of worship, and how to pass through a torii gate, and they learned about Japanese culture, customs, and traditions. Since they mentioned they liked sushi, I made a lunch reservation at a sushi restaurant on Dogenzaka in Shibuya, where everyone enjoyed the sushi and sashimi. After staying seven nights in Tokyo, they planned to go to Kusatsu and then on to Osaka, so today I took them to the ticket counter at Shibuya Station and assisted with purchasing their tickets. Everyone appeared to be very satisfied.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwaySuehirocho – Asakusa – Shibuya～Shibuya – Harajuku – Shibuya740JPY
Total740JPY

Tour Report by Nobby

Hello and how do you do?
My name is Nobuo Kokure, and please call me Nobby for short, if you want.
Let me introduce myself. I was born in Hayama, a beach resort area, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo. And I’m now living in Saginuma, Kawasaki city.
When I was a university student, I had the opportunities of doing a home stay with a family In U.S.A., Australia, and England, as a youth exchange student.
After graduation from the university, I started working at American Life Insurance Company, Japan (Alico, Japan), which is a group member company of AIG, now MetLife Insurance Company. I could have a chance to visit the head office and the field offices of U.S.A., Wilmington in Delaware, New York, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Los Angeles, while I was working for Alico, Japan (Now, MetLife Insurance company).
I had been working for MetLife Insurance Company for about 38 years, in total.
After retiring from the life insurance company, I started working as a tour guide, because I wanted to become a tour guide to introduce culture, history, and manners and customs of Japan in English. It’s so different between my previous job and the guide business, but I like guide business a lot.
I can meet so many people from all over the world and the guide business has been thriving after the pandemic.
I have implemented the tour over 240 times, introduced Japan to more than 4300 tourists from 53 countries.

Not only Tokyo, but I have experienced touring around Nikko, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji & Hakone area, Takayama, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima, etc. which are all very famous as a tourist spot in Japan.
If you go on a tour in Tokyo, you must see and visit Asakusa Sensoji Temple which is the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo with histories and Nakamise Shopping Street where you can buy the souvenirs and try to taste Japanese sweets, such as doll cake which is the sponge cake in various shapes filled with red bean paste and Japanese powdered tea ice cream. Another my recommendation in Tokyo to visit is Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya. Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest shrines in Japan with quiet and peaceful atmosphere and magnificent site.
Harajuku and Shibuya are both fun to visit for shopping and experience the Shibuya Crossing.
I usually propose my tentative itinerary and ask if my plan is all right with the customer or not. My hobby is traveling around Japan and foreign countries and going to the gym for exercise.
I would like to work as a guide as long as possible if I’m in good health and my legs are strong, because I love this job.
I put my importance on the mind of OMOTENASHI which means sincere hospitality, though safety during the tour takes precedence, number one priority, before anything else.

I’m very looking forward to seeing you and touring with you in Japan soon.
Thank you!

Best regards,

Nobuo Kokure (Nobby)

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Sep 29, 2026
jeffbM3390PI
Nuobo was awesome as our Tokyo tour guide.
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Jeff…

Sep 25, 2026
skipcooney
Customized private tour of Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Nobby was very flexible…

Sep 22, 2026
duncans746
Great guide!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Nobuo was fantastic, very knowledgeable and shaped…

Sep 13, 2026
Culture25230012656
Very knowledgeable
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I enjoy every step of the tour.…