Tour Itinerary
- 10:00 Meeting place: Tokyu Stay Shinjuku
- 10:10 Depart Shinjuku-sanchome Station
- (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)
- Akasaka-mitsuke Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 11:00 Arrive Asakusa Station
- Asakusa Senso-ji Temple
- Asakusa Shrine
- Nakamise-dori Shopping Street
- 11:40 Depart Asakusa Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- Nihombashi Station
- (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)
- 12:00 Arrive Otemachi Station
- Tokyo East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
- Nijubashi Bridge
- 13:00 Depart Otemachi Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- 13:30 Arrive Meiji-jingumae Station
- Harajuku Meiji Shrine
- Break: Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu
- Takeshita-dori Street
- 14:40 Depart Meiji-jingumae Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- Omotesando Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 15:00 Arrive Shibuya Station
- Shibuya Scramble Crossing
- Hachiko Statue
- 15:40 Depart Shibuya Station
- (Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line)
- 16:00 Arrive Shinjuku-sanchome Station
- 16:00 Dismissal: Shinjuku-sanchome Station
Can You Do a Private Day Tour of Tokyo Covering Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Harajuku, and Shibuya? A Licensed Guide's Report The guests were visitors from Europe, visiting Japan for the first time. They had lived in Europe for many years before relocating. This time they were on a longer trip to Japan, planning to stay in Tokyo for a few days before traveling to Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima, then returning to Tokyo before heading home. They had arrived at Haneda Airport that morning on a direct flight and taken a taxi to their hotel. The day before, they had explored the east exit of Shinjuku and the Kabukicho area. The tour took place under light rain. We started in Asakusa, which was as crowded as ever. Beginning in front of Kaminarimon Gate, I explained the history of Sensoji Temple and the transition from Edo to Tokyo, the purpose of the five-story pagoda, an introduction to Buddhism, and the differences between Buddhism and Shinto. We took commemorative photos at Kaminarimon Gate, in front of the pagoda, and at various other spots, and strolled leisurely along the Nakamise shopping street. The guests asked questions such as "What are the main religions in Japan?", "How many Buddhists are there in Japan?", and "Besides Buddhism, what other religions do people follow?" As they had visited China several times, they also asked about the differences between Buddhism in China and Japan. Next we moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. I explained the history of Japan from the Edo period to the Meiji era, the Meiji Restoration, why Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace, and the Tokyo air raids. They asked questions and made comments such as "What happened to the shoguns and samurai after the Meiji Restoration?", "Does the current Emperor of Japan hold political power?", and "Who was the emperor at the time?" After that, we moved to Harajuku. I explained Shinto, the meaning of torii gates, Emperor Meiji, and why sake barrels and wine barrels are displayed there. They asked questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto?", "How do Buddhism and Shinto differ?", and "Why did Shinto originate in Japan?" We took a break at Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu and also strolled along Takeshita Street. From there we moved to Shibuya. We actually crossed the Scramble Crossing, and they asked "Why do so many people gather here?" and "How did it become so famous?" We also took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. The guests made comments and asked questions such as "Everyone in Japan is so quiet and polite," "We were amazed that the public restrooms are free and clean — so different from Europe," "The streets are clean and there is no litter," and "Why are there no trash cans in the streets?" As they mentioned that taking the subway still felt difficult, I saw them off at Shinjuku-sanchome Station, where we parted ways.
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 | Train | 新宿三丁目～浅草 | 260JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | 浅草～大手町(東京都) | 180JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | 大手町(東京都)～明治神宮前 | 210JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | 明治神宮前～渋谷 | 180JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | 渋谷～新宿三丁目 | 180JPY |
| Total | 1,010JPY | ||
Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.
