Tour Itinerary
- 8:10 Meet at Shinagawa Station (originally planned to meet at 7:30, but arrived late)
- 8:30 Meiji Shrine
- 9:50 Shinagawa Station
- 10:40 East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
- 12:10 Baseball Hall of Fame Museum
- 13:00 Asakusa
- 14:15 Tokyo Skytree Observation Deck
- 15:45 Disband at the taxi stand in front of Tokyo Skytree
# What Is a Private Tokyo Day Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on the Imperial Palace, Asakusa, and Skytree The weather was excellent, but the guests I was to meet at Shinagawa Station were unable to come smoothly by train from Haneda, so we started 40 minutes late. The guests had tickets for the Skytree, the Tokyo subway, and the Keikyu line, but it turned out that the subway ticket could not be exchanged at a Tokyo Metro station. According to a station attendant, we tried to go back to Keikyu Shinagawa to have it exchanged, but were told it could only be done at Haneda, so we gave up and I purchased a one-day Tokyo subway pass out of my own pocket and handed it over. We proceeded to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, and then Asakusa, where the guests happily bought souvenirs, but the crowd in front of the main hall was not moving, so we gave up on visiting it. We were able to see a portable shrine at Asakusa Shrine, so we took a commemorative photo. The Skytree observation deck was very crowded, and with the long waits for the elevators going up and down, the guests seemed quite worn out. Since this is not even a place included in the tour course, I vowed to myself never to go there again. I had planned to see the guests off at a station near their hotel, but at the guests' request we parted ways at the taxi stand in front of Skytree.
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 | Shinagawa～Harajuku | 178JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Harajuku～Shinagawa | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Shinagawa～Harajuku | 178JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Meiji-jingumae～Otemachi | 900JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Takebashi～Korakuen | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Train | Suidobashi～Asakusabashi | 146JPY |
| Section 7 | Train | Asakusabashi～Asakusa | 0JPY |
| Section 8 | Train | Asakusa～Oshiage | 0JPY |
| Total | 1,580JPY | ||
My name is Eiji Kobayashi (Mr.), and I will be your guide during your stay in Tokyo.
Please call me Koba.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter of Japan and an expert in Japanese history and culture, and also in nursing and health. I usually work as a Public Health Nurse (PHN) at a Public Health Center in Tokyo, and I hold a Registered Nurse (RN) license. Additionally, I have a Ph.D. in medical science.
Born in 1957 and raised in Tokyo, I have worked for 33 years mainly in the research and development area for some pharmaceutical companies. Then, I changed my career to nursing and entered a university to obtain a PHN and RN license. I took the Licensed Guide for preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and volunteered in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021.
Jul 21, 2026
scottsD8777AR
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Great Touring Tokyo
Koba is an excellent tour guide. We greatly…
Jul 21, 2026
scottsD8777AR
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Great Touring Tokyo
Koba is an excellent tour guide. We greatly appreciated his knowledge of the history of Tokyo and Japan and his very pleasant demeanor. He is a true gentleman and was a pleasure to tour with in Tokyo.
Jul 9, 2026
Quest36994121691
First visit to Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
This was our first visit…
Jul 9, 2026
Quest36994121691
First visit to Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
This was our first visit to Tokyo, and our tour with Koba made the experience truly exceptional. We’re a family of four with two teenage boys (14 and 16), and Koba was wonderfully kind, patient, and engaging with each of us. The experience started even before we arrived—his first communications laid out a thoughtful, customized itinerary that perfectly matched our interests as first-time visitors. Our six hours together were full, seamless, and incredibly rewarding. Koba’s deep knowledge of the city, his attention to detail, and his warm, easygoing approach made the tour an ideal fit for our family. It was the perfect way to get a broad yet meaningful introduction to Tokyo in a short time. We’re so grateful he was our guide and highly recommend him to anyone visiting the city.
Jul 8, 2026
Χρονης Π
A beautiful tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
It was a perfect experience…
Jul 8, 2026
Χρονης Π
A beautiful tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
It was a perfect experience see learned a lot about Tokyo and our guide Koba was perfect in every way and very helpful. We had a perfect time together.Thank you Koba
Jul 5, 2026
I3699SBjonathanw
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
6hr Tokyo guide great experience
Koba was so nice to my family…
Jul 5, 2026
I3699SBjonathanw
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
6hr Tokyo guide great experience
Koba was so nice to my family and I. He was patient and helped carry a large toy my daughter won. I wished we had another day. Having a guide saved us hours of navigating the subway and metro.
