Tokyo in Half a Day: Tsukiji Market & Meiji Shrine — Guide Shuji
September, 2024
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
- 9:00 Meet at the hotel
- 9:30 Tsukiji Market
- 10:40 Meiji Shrine
- 11:20 Takeshita Street, Harajuku
- 12:30 Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko
- 12:50 Guide guests to the Robot Cafe, then end of tour
Tour Itinerary in Detail
Meeting at hotel at 9:00, the group explored Tokyo until the tour ended at 12:50. The day ran to 3 hours and 50 minutes from start to finish.
The itinerary covered Tsukiji Market at 9:30, Meiji Shrine at 10:40, Takeshita Street, Harajuku at 11:20 and Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko at 12:30.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Tsukiji to Meiji-jingumae by subway (210JPY); Harajuku to Shibuya by train (150JPY). Across 2 sections the fare came to 360JPY per person.
What Is a Private Full-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Tsukiji, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya
The guests were visitors from Europe. When it comes to their home region, one thinks of the world of Peter Rabbit, and since my family had visited that area several times during our own stay abroad, I started the tour with that conversation. They mentioned that they were traveling to Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and other destinations to mark a milestone in their lives.
At Tsukiji Market, since I had advised them to keep breakfast light, they enjoyed one dish after another, including tuna, salmon, eel, scallops, wagyu beef steak, satsuma-age fish cakes, shine muscat grapes, and melon.
At Meiji Shrine, the guests appreciated the pleasant atmosphere of the sacred forest surrounding the Shinto shrine, and took a commemorative photo by the camphor trees.
On Takeshita Street, they were amused and showed interest in things such as the mini pig café. We walked across the Shibuya crossing, and the tour concluded at a robot café nearby.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Tsukiji～Meiji-jingumae | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Harajuku～Shibuya | 150JPY |
| Total | 360JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Tokyo tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at hotel at 9:00, and the tour finished at Guide guests to the Robot Cafe, then end of tour at 12:50.
How long does the tour last?
About 3 hours and 50 minutes in total, from 9:00 to 12:50.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Tsukiji Market, Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, Harajuku and Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 360JPY per person across 2 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Shuji is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Tokyo itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
My name is Shuji, meaning “Excellent Manager” in English. I was born in Hiroshima 1952. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
After graduating Kyoto Univ. I joined Mitsubishi-UFJ Bank, Osaka Branch where I met my wife who was a master of Englsih, so I started studying English.
The bank allowed me to go to Columbia Graduate business school in New York and got MBA Degree there. I worked in London and Manchester Branch.
During staying in U.K., I was introduced by BBC and Financial Times News Paper about my achievement there. I was selected as a personal assistant and interpreter for the President of the Bank.
I made many business trips with him to overseas countries. I experienced as an interpreter for meeting late Henry Kissinger and the President of Citi. Corp.
I changed the job to ORIX corporation, there I was promoted to a Board Member. When the company had acquired Dutch company, I was a member as an accountant to check the Dutch company’s statements of accounts.
My hobbies are cooking, singing a song, playing tennis & golf, enjoy seeing arts especially opera & musical, travel. I am also busy with taking care of grandchildren. I passed Government Licensed Guide Exam. in 2016. After I retired in 2017, I started guide job as a part timer. So far, I accomplished guide job more than 500 times.
My area coverage is from Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, Oaka, Hiroshima. I am also able to guide Tea Ceremony, Maiko/Geisha, Sushi Making, Calligraphy, Sumo, Samurai, etc. I can speak excellent English. My knowledge is very wide and deep about not only sightseeing places but Japanese History, Culture, Religion, Daily Life. I know many foreign countries and people. I love talking with all kinds of people including babies with interesting humor.
By the way, I look young for my age of 74.
Jul 16, 2026
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A great day in the Company of mr. Shuji.
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Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached…
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AmyfromPlano
Shuji is the best! Once we booked this tour, he reached out immediately to make sure that we had a customized tour of what we wanted to see and do in Nara. The level of details in his emails was incredible! Not only did Shuji plan a great tour but he also went above and beyond by explaining the Japan rail system, the public transportation cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) and even told us exactly what trains, times and gates to exit so that our meetup was seamless. Been on a lot of tours around the world and have never had this level of communication. Once we started our tour, Shuji was articulate, knowledgeable and so much fun! Nara is amazing and Shuji made it so much better – please request him!
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was…
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Our tour guide Shuji was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we were able to see everything that we wanted while in Osaka. He even took my 5 year old into consideration and took us to the Pokémon store since he is a Pokémon fan. I would definitely recommend him as a tour guide.