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
- 09:00 Gathered at the Hotel lobby (just before, Yupeng contacted us to delay by one hour from the schedule and start at 9:00, so we started at 9:00). Reconfirmed the pre-arranged route and departed for Sensoji Temple.
- 09:35 -11:20 Arrived at Asakusa. Guided them through Azumabashi Bridge → Kaminarimon → coffee break at Starbucks → Nakamise Street → Hozomon → Main Hall → Stone Bridge → Asakusa Shrine. When we finished, Yupeng and Liam requested "we'd like to try shaved ice," so we went to Kimuraya, took our seats, and enjoyed shaved ice. After finishing, we made the long-distance move to Gotokuji Temple.
- 11:20-12:40 From Asakusa to Gotokuji, traveling via the Ginza Line → Chiyoda Line → Odakyu Line.
- 12:40-13:45 Walked from Gotokuji Station to Gotokuji Temple. Guided them through the temple grounds, and on the way back to Gotokuji Station, they requested "we're hungry and would like to have lunch," so we entered the ramen shop Kurumaya in the Gotokuji shopping street.
- 13:45-14:20 Lunch at the ramen shop Kurumaya. After finishing, we moved to Omotesando.
- 14:50-15:00 Got off at Omotesando Station and introduced Omotesando Street and the Harajuku shopping spots (as they requested to come again another day to shop). After that, we moved to Shinjuku 3-chome via the Fukutoshin Line.
- 15:10-15:25 Took them to Isetan Men's Building and said goodbye.
Title: What's a Relaxed Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
At the start of the tour, we reviewed the itinerary in the hotel lobby, and the guests requested a relaxed pace—rather than visiting many places, they preferred to explore a few spots thoroughly, with breaks along the way since it was hot. Following that request, at Sensoji Temple we saw the Kaminarimon Gate and then immediately took a coffee break at the Starbucks next to the gate (there was no line at all in the morning). After finishing at Sensoji, the guests wanted to try shaved ice, so we relaxed and enjoyed kakigori at Kimuraya. It was their first time having shaved ice, and they were delighted. Likewise, after seeing Gotokuji Temple, they were hungry and wanted lunch, so we went to Kurumaya in the Gotokuji shopping street—a creative ramen shop that makes dashi using salmon flakes from Shibetsu (salmon processed like bonito flakes)—and they were very happy, saying it was "very delicious," which was great. Afterward, based on their prior request to shop for men's fashion on their own, I took them to Isetan Men's and Omotesando, and when they saw the Men's Tower, they said it was exactly the kind of interesting shopping they had hoped for, which was wonderful. The guests were friends visiting from North America, and this was the second day of an eight-day trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, taking place the day after their arrival. With the temperature at 35 degrees and the possibility of jet lag, I was a little concerned, but both were full of energy, and we were able to finish as planned at the Isetan Men's Tower without any trouble, which was great.
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 | Otemachi～Asakusa | 700JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Yoyogi-Uehara | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Yoyogi-Uehara～Gotokuji | 170JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Gotokuji～Yoyogi-Uehara | 170JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Yoyogi-Uehara～Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku)～Shinjuku-sanchome | 0JPY |
| Total | 1,040JPY | ||
I acquired national guide license in 2014, and I have been doing guide work full fledged since 2016. In my career before starting guide work, I was a business man and made more than 1,000 business trips both abroad and in Japan, and that experience is my foundation as a guide because I came to know so many places both abroad and in Japan. I have been taking care of both group and individual tourists, and the number of foreign guests I have taken care is close to 2,500 so far. I am based in Tokyo, but I can cover guide work in many prefectures throughout Japan. When I take care of foreign guests, my major concern is to listen attentively to them, find out what they want to know and do in Japan, and give them appropriate guiding in accordance with what I heard from my guests. I would like to provide tailor made tour as much as possible for every precious guest who kindly chose Japan as the tour destination.
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our…
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our first day in Tokyo so memorable and enjoyable! He shared his knowledge and love for the city as he showed us around. We now understand how to navigate the train system, and he even left us a list of how to explore other areas of the city by train. Our tour was a fun way to get acquainted with this amazing city!
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture,…
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture, history and
society. He picked and showed us more than We expected. Also he was good Company for
both me, my husbond and our son aged 22.
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We…
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We loved seeing all of the sights on the tour and Minoru was extremely knowledge about all things in Tokyo and else-wear in Japan. We were able to adjust the stops due to the heat (it was up to 35C!) and Minoru had great suggestions for things to check out. Highly recommend!
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored…
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored to our needs (and the weather) and delivered so attentively by our guide Minoru Asai. He was in contact in advance of the day to understand our interests, and advised us on practicalities and remained flexible throughout the day as required. His knowledge, and passion, for the history of Tokyo made the day! Could not have asked for more.