Tokyo: Senso-ji Temple & Imperial Palace — Guide Seizo
September, 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
- 08:50 Meet @ Higashi-Asakusa 2-10-6 Apartment
- 09:20 Senso-ji Temple
- 09:50 Jidaiya (Tea Ceremony Experience)
- 11:30 Imperial Palace
- 12:20 Lunch @ Aoyuzu Tora (Marunouchi Building)
- 14:00 Shibuya Scramble Crossing・Hachiko
- 15:05 Dismissal @ Higashi-Asakusa 2-10-6 Apartment
Tour Itinerary in Detail
The tour started at 08:50 at @ Higashi-Asakusa 2-10-6 Apartment and ended at 15:05. The day ran to 6 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish. It included lunch @ Aoyuzu Tora (Marunouchi Building) at 12:20.
Over the course of the day the route took in Senso-ji Temple at 09:20, Jidaiya (Tea Ceremony Experience) at 09:50, Imperial Palace at 11:30 and Shibuya Scramble Crossing・Hachiko at 14:00.
Title: What Is a Private Wheelchair-Accessible Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, and Shibuya
The guests were a group visiting from North America, and it was their first time in Japan. They planned to sightsee in Tokyo and around Mount Fuji before continuing on to Kyoto. Because one member of the group used a wheelchair, all travel apart from the initial visit to Asakusa was done by taxi. (The taxi fares were all covered by the guests, so there were no transportation costs advanced by the guide.) The booking had been made by one of the guests, who understood that this was a walking tour, but another member of the group had initially thought it would be a tour by private vehicle. Since we needed to arrive at the tea experience venue by 9:50 for the reserved tea ceremony, and because moving with the wheelchair took extra time, we had to keep the visit to Sensoji Temple short. Normally the guide is not permitted to accompany guests during the tea experience, but because one of the guests used a wheelchair, a staff member at the venue asked the guide to join and provide assistance, so I stayed with the group and helped. The guests greatly enjoyed the tea experience. At the Imperial Palace, they listened with great interest to historical explanations about the role of the Emperor, the Meiji Restoration, and the Edo shogunate. In Shibuya, due to a sudden heavy downpour, we made only a short stop before returning to the guests' accommodation. Although the afternoon brought unfortunate heavy rain, I believe the guests were satisfied with the tea experience and the rest of the tour.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Tour & Tea Ceremony with Licensed Guide
I am Seizo Kamiuto, National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter (English). I was born in Kagoshima City in Kyushu (Southern part of Japan) and grew up there until the graduation from a high school. I came to Tokyo to enter a University in Tokyo and since then, I have lived in Tokyo for more than 40 years and therefore I know Tokyo and its suburbs and Kagoshima City very well. After retiring from an IT company, I have been working as a Guide Interpreter of English since March 2018. I have guided many overseas guests to the popular sightseeing spots in Tokyo, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji area (Kawaguchiko Lake etc.), Hakone, Nikko, Yokohama, Kawagoe and Kagoshima and so on. I have received good reviews from many guests. I can explain the history and the culture of Japan in detail. I look forward to an opportunity to guide you in Japan. Thank you. Seizo Kamiuto
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Seizo was a tremendously fabulous…
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Seizo was a tremendously fabulous and friendly tour guide. He made us feel welcome and took great care to explain the tour and what we would be seeing during the day. It was a great way to see the city’s sights and a great help navigating the transit system. Loads of trains rides to get us to each new location.
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Higly recommend
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Had an amazing tour with Seizi Kaminto.…
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Higly recommend
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Had an amazing tour with Seizi Kaminto. He was very knowledgeable, easy going, great sense of humour and taught us a lot about Japanese culture and history. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour and our guide Seizo. Would highly recommend.
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We had an excellent time with Seizo Kamiuto as our…
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Tripadvisor review: Japan Guide Agency
We had an excellent time with Seizo Kamiuto as our guide for Kamakura. He was an excellent guide for the whole day and it really made a difference with an experienced person who knew the area. He was very friendly and accommodating with our plans for Kamakura, including me picking out which temples and shrines to visit. He met us at our hotel in Asakusa and dropped us back off at the hotel even if it is an hour from Kamakura. He also recommended a great sushi restaurant that I would not have even known existed, even if I was looking straight at it. I would highly recommend bringing a guide like Seizo if you want to maximize your time in Kamakura to explore the area.
Our tour went to 3 places in the morning and 2 places in the afternoon. The morning places were a bit out of the way and less crowded, but were beautiful on their own. The morning places where Engakuji Temple, Meigetsu-in Temple (slightly out of season for September but some hydrangeas were still blooming and the temple itself was very beautiful with nature all around), and Kencho-ji Temple. The afternoon was in the busier places of Kamakura, but the crowds weren’t too bad. They were Hasedera Temple and the Giant Buddha of Kamakura Temple. Each place was different and pretty in their own ways.
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We had a great time learning about little Edo. Our guide, Mr. Seizo, was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and patient with the number of questions we had.