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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 1 Hotel Ente Terrace Asakusa
- 2 900-1030 Asakusa
- 3 1050-1200 Edo-Tokyo Museum
- 4 1230-1400 Tsukiji Lunch
- 5 1420-1540 Nijubashi Cafe
- 6 1600-1640 Meiji Shrine
- 7 1640- 1650 Harajuku Walk
- 8 1700 Since they were going to watch baseball at Korakuen Dome from 6 o'clock, I dropped them off at Ikebukuro and we parted ways.
Title: What's a Family-Friendly Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, and the Imperial Palace
The guests were a group visiting from North America. When I mentioned that a Japanese ice cream maker had been caught in a cartel case, they noted that collusion involving companies from Japan and Korea is often an issue back home too. I responded, "It may be because there is an aspect of Asian culture that values cooperation over competition."
At Senso-ji Temple, one of the guests passed through the stone lantern's "womb passage" to cure a stomachache. When asked how the lantern of Kaminarimon Gate is maintained, I looked it up and answered, "It is remade every ten years, and in between it is occasionally touched up and dusted off." One of the guests asked what the sorin finial on the five-story pagoda of Senso-ji is for, and drawing on knowledge learned in my guide training textbook, I answered, "It is an antenna for communicating with the universe."
We purchased a goshuin stamp book at Senso-ji and received stamps at Senso-ji, Namiyoke Shrine, and Meiji Shrine. In Tsukiji, we purified ourselves by passing through the chinowa ring at Namiyoke Shrine. Since one of the guests did not like fish, everyone chose what they liked at the food court, and that guest had a gyoza set meal.
The cafe in the Meiji Life Insurance Building near Nijubashi had a 30-minute wait, so we gave up on it. We visited the Allied Forces General Headquarters room on the second floor and the ammonite fossil carved into the marble. After that, we ate dorayaki at the Nanko Cafe. Some of the guests liked it, though it did not suit one guest's taste.
One of the guests, who has an interest in history, shared the impression that "Today I learned a lot about Japanese history."
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Asakusa～Ryogoku (Toei Line) | 290JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Ryogoku (Toei Line)～Tsukiji Market | 220JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Tsukiji～Nijubashimae | 180JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Nijubashimae～Meiji-jingumae | 210JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae～Ikebukuro | 210JPY |
| Total | 1,110JPY | ||
I have been working as a tour guide once a week since the autumein 2024. I got 5 star ratings from 32 individuals or groups succesively.
Previously, I have been working with grain business for 43 years. I was sent to a subsidiary office in New Orleans for three years.
I love Japanese history, culture and nature and want as many viaitors as possible to know the good and beautiful things about Japan. There’s a Zen teaching that I hold dear. That is ‘Ichi-go ichie’, which means ’Treasure every encounter as it may not come again’. Looking forward to see you!
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He…
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He had a good sense of humor and was so kind to meet us at our Air BnB, which was a bit out of the way. He gave us a great crash course on Japanese history before heading out on our adventure around Tokyo, visiting shrines, markets, a museum and garden. It was so helpful to have him with us navigating the train system, and he took us to an amazing sushi place for a lovely lunch. All in all, it was really fun and we were able to better appreciate the places we visited with him providing information and history along the way. Would definitely recommend!…
Jul 1, 2026
Voyager795644
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo private family tour
Our family of 5 (kids age 8, 10,…
Jul 1, 2026
Voyager795644
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo private family tour
Our family of 5 (kids age 8, 10, 12) had a fantastic experience with Lance as a tour guide on our full day Tokyo tour. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very flexible with kids on the trip. We highly recommend him!
Jun 26, 2026
Leslie_B
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Market, temples, Nature, and a great guide
This tour is amazing and…
Jun 26, 2026
Leslie_B
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Market, temples, Nature, and a great guide
This tour is amazing and Lance was such a great guide. my mother is handicapped and Lance researched the best ways to use the train stations always found us an elevator or ramp. He knew so much about the Japanese culture and history. His English was very strong and easily understood. The temples and markets were beautiful. Two things that really made Lance stand out as a great guide was when we went to the offering area at one of the temples Lance didn’t want us to miss out because we didn’t have a coin so he provided on for each of us. The second thing was I asked a question that he wasn’t sure the answer to, but after the tour I was surprised to see a message from Lance answering my question. He did not gain anything from this I had already paid and tipped him it really just reflected how amazing and dedicated to his job Lance was.thank you Lance for making our tour of Japan so special.
Jun 17, 2026
JKing275
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tour of Tokyo
Our guide, Lance was exceptional! He immediately contacted me…
Jun 17, 2026
JKing275
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tour of Tokyo
Our guide, Lance was exceptional! He immediately contacted me after I booked, guiding me through the options. Several days before the tour, rain was in the forecast. Lance revised our options to include mostly indoor tours. He also requested our likes and dislikes prior to picking a lunch spot.
Lance was very knowledgeable about Japan’s history. We appreciated his explanations at each tour site. Descriptions were a nice overview without being overly detailed. Lance’s organization and timing for each stop was spot on and his English was excellent.
It was a pleasure to spend the day with Lance. He epitomized the Japanese culture with his calmness, true kindness and respect for all!