Tokyo in One Day: Guide Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise-dori

September, 2026

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 arrives at hotel lobby
  • 9:00 Meet guests at hotel lobby
  • 9:10 Hotel, walk to Higashi-Nihombashi subway station
  • 9:25 Arrive at Higashi-Nihombashi subway station, guests purchase PASMO
  • 9:32 Depart Higashi-Nihombashi station, head to Asakusa station via subway Asakusa Line
  • 9:36 Arrive at Asakusa station, walk to Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
  • 9:45-9:55 Guide the 8F observation deck of Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
  • 10:00-11:10 Guide Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise-dori
  • *Guide the Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise-dori, Hozomon Gate, Five-story Pagoda, Owaraji (giant straw sandal), omikuji fortunes, incense burner, chozuya (purification fountain), main hall, Asakusa Shrine, and matcha ice cream shop
  • 11:26 Depart Asakusa station, head to Kanda station via subway Ginza Line
  • 11:36 Arrive at Kanda station, transfer to JR Chuo Line
  • 11:45 Depart Kanda station, head to Shinjuku station via JR Chuo Line Rapid
  • 11:57 Arrive at Shinjuku station
  • 12:00-12:40 Guide the 3D cat at Shinjuku station East Exit, Omoide Yokocho (West Exit), Godzilla Road, and Kabukicho
  • 12:47 Depart Shinjuku station, head to Shibuya station via JR Yamanote Line
  • 12:54 Arrive at Shibuya station, walk to Shibuya Dogenzaka
  • 13:00-14:00 Lunch (sushi) at Shibuya Dogenzaka <reserved in advance>
  • 14:00-14:30 Guide the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Hachiko
  • 14:34 Depart Shibuya station, head to Harajuku station via JR Yamanote Line
  • 14:36 Arrive at Harajuku station, walk to Meiji Jingu Shrine
  • 14:40-15:45 Guide Meiji Jingu Shrine
  • *Guide the First Torii, sake barrels, wine barrels, Second Torii, waka poems, chozuya (purification fountain), Meoto Kusu (married couple trees), main hall, ema (votive tablets), etc.
  • 15:50-15:55 Explain Harajuku Takeshita-dori and Omotesando
  • 15:59 Depart Meiji-jingumae station, head to Nijubashimae station via subway Chiyoda Line
  • 16:12 Arrive at Nijubashimae station, walk to Nijubashi Bridge
  • 16:20-16:40 Guide the Imperial Palace Nijubashi Bridge
  • 16:47 Depart Nijubashimae station, head to Higashi-Nihombashi station via subway Chiyoda Line to Hibiya station, subway Hibiya Line via Higashi-Ginza station, subway Asakusa Line
  • 17:08 Arrive at Higashi-Nihombashi station
  • 17:10 Say goodbye to guests and finish work

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya

The guests, who had arrived in Japan from North America, thoroughly enjoyed today's tour despite the fatigue from a long journey. This morning, a request came in to add Shibuya and the Imperial Palace to the planned itinerary of Senso-ji Temple, Shinjuku, Meiji Shrine, and Harajuku, and I carried out the tour in response to this request, which delighted them greatly. They took many photographs at each location. At Senso-ji Temple, they drew an omikuji fortune and were pleased to receive a good result. In the afternoon, we also visited Meiji Shrine, where they learned the differences between temples and shrines, the respective methods of worship, and how to pass through a torii gate. For lunch, they mentioned they wanted to eat sushi, so I made a reservation at a sushi restaurant on Dogenzaka in Shibuya, and they enjoyed the meal very much. I received detailed questions at each location and answered them, and as the guests were of a similar generation and had a family situation quite similar to mine, we had many common topics to talk about, making for an enjoyable tour.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayHigashi-Nihombashi～Asakusa180JPY
Section 2SubwayAsakusa～Kanda (Tokyo)180JPY
Section 3TrainKanda (Tokyo)～Shinjuku210JPY
Section 4TrainShinjuku～Shibuya200JPY
Section 5TrainShibuya～Harajuku160JPY
Section 6SubwayMeiji-jingumae～Nijubashimae210JPY
Section 7SubwayNijubashimae～Higashi-Nihombashi290JPY
Total1,430JPY

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
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
I enjoy every step of the tour.…