Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Shinji
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 hotel, travel by train 9:40 Hamarikyu, 10:30 travel by train 11:15 Harajuku, lunch, 12:15 Meiji Shrine travel by train 13:15 Shibuya 13:30 Guide ends
What Is a Private Family Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Hamarikyu, Takeshita Street, and Shibuya
The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. At Hamarikyu Gardens, the guests were very interested in the flowers in bloom and the trees planted there, and asked me their names many times. Some of the guests were delighted to discover bees and butterflies. For lunch we went to a conveyor-belt sushi chain restaurant, which the guests also enjoyed very much. On Takeshita Street, each member of the group got a prize from the capsule toy machines. Finally, I took the group to the Pokemon Center in Shibuya, and they felt bad that the tour had run over by 30 minutes. Since we had walked quite a lot from the morning, some of the guests were understandably tired. Before the tour began, I had asked whether the group would be alright given how much walking was involved, and I was told they were ready to walk, but I think it turned out to be more than expected.
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Train | Shiomi～Shiodome | 432JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Shiodome～Meiji-jingumae | 286JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Harajuku～Shibuya | 146JPY |
| Total | 864JPY | ||
Before I started the guiding job in 2022, I had worked for private companies and been engaged in overseas business, which led me to be stationed in various English-speaking countries. Taking advantage of such experiences and also wishing to reciprocate the kindness extended to me during my career, I have decided to help visitors to Japan enjoy their stay and obtained a national guide license.
I am very honored and pleased to assist guests from overseas and enjoy seeing them having a great time visiting interesting spots in Japan and learning about the country. I look forward to serving more new guests and seeing them smile at the end of my private tours.
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Great tour, Shinji was great, they…
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Great tour, Shinji was great, they are flexible throughout the day. The transportation was
nice and clean and more than enough room for our family of 7.
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For those not wanting to read my entire post, let me say if you are going to Hakone, consider hiring Shinji. He is marvelous!
We went to Hakone, a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs being within view of nearby Mount Fuji, the most visited mountain in Japan. With our guide Shinji we visited the Hakone open air Museum, Hakone Shrine, Lake Ashi, Hakone, Japan, and took the Lake Ashi Cruise. Shinji’s knowledge about the sites, trains, cable cars, cruise, history, culture and languages (Japanese and English) made for a most efficient and memorable experience. Lastly, Shinji was very patient, as our getting to Hakone took more time than we expected, and adaptable, as we made the necessary adjustments to visit every relevant site we had hoped for. Great trip with a great guide!