Tour Itinerary
- 0900 OMO3 Asakusa by Hoshino Resorts (5 minutes from Metro Asakusa Station, right outside Nitenmon Gate) meet
- 0900 Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, Nakamise
- 0940 Ueno Park, Kiyomizu Kannon-do, Shogitai Memorial Monument, Statue of Saigo Takamori (the others will be revisited on another day), Ameyoko
- 1050 Koishikawa Korakuen
- 1205 Imperial Palace Otemon Gate ~ Tatsumi Yagura ~ Gyoko-dori Avenue, Higashi Gyoen may be revisited on another day
- 1305 Meiji Shrine visit, Takeshita Street was so crowded that there was even entry restriction, so we passed
- 1420 Shibuya Station, purchase SUICA, Hachiko Statue, Scramble Crossing
- After explaining the surrounding shops (PARCO, 109 etc.)
- 1500 dismiss
What Is a Full-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Ueno, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. Since they had arrived the previous night and had only been to a convenience store, I guided them through Senso-ji Temple starting from the Nitenmon Gate. At nine in the morning, foot traffic had not yet picked up in earnest, so we proceeded smoothly, but near the Kaminarimon Gate large tour groups began to arrive and it became quite crowded. Today the guests wanted to sightsee broadly and learn how to use the transportation system, so we allotted limited time at Ueno Park and the Imperial Palace, and they mentioned they might visit the National Museum and the East Gardens separately. In front of the main hall of Meiji Shrine, seating and other setups were underway for the "Meiji Shrine Takigi Noh" performance to be held that evening, so it was extremely crowded. Many tour groups were also visiting to pray, and in my experience it seemed to be the most crowded I had seen it outside of the New Year period. Takeshita Street was also extremely crowded, with traffic restrictions in place, so after discussing it we decided to skip it. In Shibuya, after purchasing a SUICA card, we tried to issue Shinkansen tickets using the QR code from their prior reservation, but it did not work. When I asked a staff member, I learned that the QR code was for a reservation made through JR Central's EX service, so it could only be issued at Tokyo Station and Shinagawa Station, where JR Central ticketing is available. I explained that on the day of their transfer, they should go to Tokyo Station early to have the tickets issued. (I do wish JR Central and JR East would cooperate a little more.)
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 | Asakusa～Ueno | 178JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Ueno-okachimachi～Iidabashi | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Iidabashi～Otemachi | 178JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Nijubashimae～Meiji-jingumae | 209JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Harajuku～Shibuya | 146JPY |
| Total | 889JPY | ||
I had worked in the international business scene for over 40 years and traveled to North America and European countries over 1000 days.
After I retired from the business, I traveled to most of the major sightseeing spots in all 47 prefectures in Japan.
My guide is starting from a brief history of the site where I am going to guide. I usually add a briefing about Japanese culture based on religions, such as Shinto Shrine and Buddhist temples. A geographic background behind the history is also important.
My course includes 4 to 5 (in 6 hours) sites from the following depending on where I will pick the guests up;
– Senso ji Temple
– Kappabashi Kitchenware Market
– Tokyo Skytree
– Ueno Park
– Nezu Shrine
– Imperial Palace outer park
– Tokyo Central Station, Marunouchi historic district
– Tsukiji Fish Market
– Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
– Ginza
– Odaiba
– Hama Rikyu Garden
– Shinjuku Gyoen Garden
– Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
– Roppongi
– Meiji Shrine
– Harajuku & Takeshita Street
– Shibuya
– and Any of your interest.
I am happy to introduce Japanese Manga/Anime cultures such as Akihabara, Nakano Broadway and Ghibli related sites.
Travelling along the JR central line where guests can stopover at major animation studios (it is not accepted to visit the inside). The majority of animation studios such as TMS Entertainment, SUNRISE, A1 Pictures etc. are located in this area. Suginami Animation museum, Studio Ghibli and Ghibli Museum are also located.
Guests can feel old houses in the Spirited Away scene in the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum.
I can also provide a pilgrimage to the sacred place (shooting location) for the Shinkai Makoto animation movies such as Your name, Weathering with you, and Suzume.
Another interesting feature is to visit authentic Japanese style pub meals such as Yakitori, Karaage, and Sushi etc.
Asakusa Hoppy Street, Ameyoko Street, Yurakucho, Shimbashi, Shinjuku Golden gai, Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho are nice to visit.
A Sake tasting at Sake Cellar can be an option.
In addition to the above, I am available in the neighboring cities.
Kawagoe is an old town developed in the 17th century. It has very close relationship with the Edo central government. Kawagoe castle ruins, Kitain temple and 500 Buddha statues will welcome the guests.
These areas are renovated and provide an old days atmosphere.
Japanese style sweets food stands will fascinate the guests.
Kawagoe is about 1 – 1.5 train trip from Tokyo.
Kamakura is the first Samurai worriers government established in the late 12th century.
The Buddhism are introduced to Japan in the 6th century, and flourished at Nara and Kyoto later. A newer Buddhism sect such as Zen has well developed at Kamakura area.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Gigantic Buddha statue at Kotokuin Temple and the flower temple Hasedera Temple are must-see.
Kamakura is about 1 – 1.5 train trip from Tokyo.
I am also happy to develop any other site the guests have interest.
Jul 2, 2026
Susan M
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Family fun in Tokyo.
A wonderful day. Ted customized our tour…
Jul 2, 2026
Susan M
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Family fun in Tokyo.
A wonderful day. Ted customized our tour to suit our families interests. Definitely a great way to see Tokyo.
Jun 26, 2026
ann r
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Educational with kind, generous guide
My teenage sons and I learned…
Jun 26, 2026
ann r
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Educational with kind, generous guide
My teenage sons and I learned so much about Tokyo and Japan in a few hours. We were very fortunate to have such an excellent guide! We highly recommend Ted and appreciated his knowledgeable and thoughtful sightseeing tour of Tokyo. He planned a wonderful itinerary for us and made it all happen, with excellent pacing of breaks and good conversation.
Jun 14, 2026
141yunb
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Can’t believe all that we got to see in 6 hours
We…
Jun 14, 2026
141yunb
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Can’t believe all that we got to see in 6 hours
We had a fantastic time with Ted, our guide. He contacted us prior to the trip to customize an itinerary that would have things of interest to everyone in our group. He shared helpful history for each of the places we visited, from Tsukigi market, Harujuku district, to Meiji Shrine. He had great recommendations for other parts of our trip. He is an expert at navigating the Tokyo train system. This tour is family friendly, but also very active in terms of walking to cover all the places we got to visit. The tour with Ted is definitely a highlight of our trip, I would highly recommend.
May 18, 2026
B
Beth56646
Great tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Ted and I agreed upon what we would see…
May 18, 2026
B
Beth56646
Great tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Ted and I agreed upon what we would see soon after I registered for the tour. He met us at
the hotel. Ted was very knowledgeable about both the places we visited and Japanese
history. I highly recommend him
