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

  • 8:00 Meet at Hotel→8:00-8:30 Walk to the Imperial Palace East Gardens (security was extremely tight)→8:30-9:30 Stroll through the East Gardens→9:30-9:50 Move to Tsukiji→9:50-10:40 Stroll through Tsukiji Outer Market→10:40-11:30 Sushi lunch→11:30-11:50 Move to Shibuya→11:50-12:30 Visit Shibuya's Hachiko and the Crossing (disband)

What Can You See on a Private Tokyo Day Tour? A Licensed Guide's Report on the Imperial Palace, Tsukiji, and Shibuya Crossing

The meeting was a success as planned. The guests were a group visiting from Europe who were staying at a hotel in Yokohama and were in the middle of a cruise visiting major cities in Japan. They were very friendly and easy to be with. We first visited the Imperial Palace, but security was unusually strict, so we could not enter through the Otemon Gate and had our belongings inspected twice. The guests did not mind at all and cooperated without complaint. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom at the Imperial Palace, so I took many photos for them. Next we visited Tsukiji, where they bought skewers of Kobe wagyu beef and sampled them together. They were thrilled, saying it was unbelievably juicy and tender and that they had never eaten such delicious beef. Since I had made a reservation at the sushi restaurant, we were able to enter without waiting, and they enjoyed rice bowls and California rolls. They were very satisfied, saying that the fish was fresh but the taste of the vinegared rice was exquisite. Finally, we visited Shibuya Crossing, and since you could see the crossing clearly from above the station, they filmed a video, then actually crossed and took photos. At the end, we took a selfie all together and parted ways in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayOtemachi~Tsukiji178JPY
Section 2SubwayTsukiji~Shibuya209JPY
Total387JPY

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Oct 14, 2025
Randi R
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Great tour.
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