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
- 09:10 Depart Tokyo Bay Prince Shiomi
- 09:24〜10:20 Shiomi / Meiji-jingumae
- 10:20〜11:20 Harajuku Takeshita Street
- 11:40〜12:45 Shibuya Crossing, Pokemon Center, Nintendo
- 12:50〜13:30 Travel via Ginza Line
- 13:30 Arrive at Asakusa, look for the reserved rickshaw
- 13:40〜13:50 Kaminarimon Gate guide
- 13:55 Say goodbye in front of the rickshaw.
Title: What Is a 4-Hour Private Harajuku and Asakusa Walking Tour in Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
There were several differences from the original booking. The booking listed four adults, but in reality the group was smaller and included children. One member of the group did not join on the day. It was unclear whether the children's category had not been selected at the time of booking, and it would be helpful if this could be clarified and stated correctly when reserving.
From the moment I heard that the guests wanted to visit Harajuku, I sensed that there might be children in the group, and this turned out to be the case.
Regarding the schedule, there was some looseness. I had communicated both by prior email and again on the day that the tour would run from 9:00 to 13:00. Since Harajuku is not open early, we visited Meiji Shrine first, but it rained, and this part took about an hour.
We also strolled along Takeshita Street without any particular goal, at the request of one of the guests. Perhaps because I had not said that some parts could be skipped if we ran short on time in the morning, they did not want to shop in Shibuya either, but simply wanted to visit a Pokémon store. On the day, I was told that they had reservations for a rickshaw and sumo in Asakusa.
I had not been informed of this the night before either. The tour was to end in Asakusa, but we had to search together for where the reception desk was. We finally parted at 13:55. The guests did not mention anything about the extra time. I had intended not to charge for an extra 10 to 20 minutes, but since it stretched to about an hour, I should have put them on the Asakusa Line and ended the tour at Shibuya.
I will make sure to confirm the guiding hours properly from now on.
I will also be more careful to confirm the exact guiding time going forward, as with a 4-hour course it is important to manage the schedule clearly.
The guests were visitors from North America. This was a family group that was not very expressive, and it was a challenging day in terms of feeling a sense of reward as a guide.
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～Hatchobori | 167JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Hatchobori～Meiji-jingumae | 209JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae～Shibuya | 178JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Shibuya～Asakusa | 252JPY |
| Total | 806JPY | ||
Hello! How are you?
I am a National Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter, Yumiko Komatsu. Nick name is coco.
I have started this guide job since 2014. I live in Tokyo, but I was born in Matsumoto. I guided many places throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. I guided and am interested in Japanese Art, pop culture, Manga, Japanese landscape, Japanese history, culture, religions and Japanese custom. In Tokyo there are a lot of things you need to visit such as Asakusa temple, Shrine, Team labo, food, Shibuya, and Akihabara. Every place is changing on everyday in Tokyo. I will get you updated information and I hope that you may enjoy your staying in Tokyo. Shall we go?
Mar 22, 2025
Deborah_S
Amazing Day in Toyko
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
What an amazing experience…
Mar 22, 2025
Deborah_S
Amazing Day in Toyko
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
What an amazing experience so worth it. Coco from JGA was an unbelievable tour guide so knowledgeable and spoke English well. She even came with a flip chart so we could understand some of Japan history. The driver was so accommodating always there to pick us up so there was no waiting on our part. I had gotten injured before our trip to Japan so required a wheelchair. They made sure to drop off at wheelchair acccessible spots, accompanied us to best entrances inside buildings, helped with tickets, paying vendors etc, and took wheelchair in and out of car. They made an undoable trip so convenient , comfortable and a wonderful experience. The car was clean, comfortable and plenty of room for each person.
Suggestion: very important … spend time researching what sites you want to see and researching how long by car it takes to get to each spot. We saw Sensoji temple, sky tree, imperial palace, Meiji jingu Temple. Choose 8:00 or 9:00 tour to get to Sensoji temple early before crowds. We just did a quick walk through (NY city pace)as we went back on our own later but wanted to understand the history. There was very low volume before 9:30 but after the sea of people was unbelievable. Meiji Jingu temple was our favorite. Would skip sky tree or do it on drop off only as even if you rush it is hard to get through it with the lines for elevators in under 1.5 hours.
Amazing Amazing thank you!!!!!
Oct 15, 2024
David_S
Tokyo Highlight Tour with private guide
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We enjoyed seeing Tokyo with Coco.…
Oct 15, 2024
David_S
Tokyo Highlight Tour with private guide
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We enjoyed seeing Tokyo with Coco. My friend had one day to see Tokyo. We saw a lot of the highlights with Coco. She mapped out an itinerary based on our interests. Highlights included Senso Ji, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Shibuya Crossing, Imperial Palace, Takeshita Street, Nezu Shrine and Shinjuka. We also gained a better understanding of the Tokyo subway system. Coco also helped map out to the subway to get to future destinations. Highly recommend this tour and especially Coco.
Oct 9, 2024
961harlanh
Coco is a great Tokyo tour guide
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
I had a great experience…
Oct 9, 2024
961harlanh
Coco is a great Tokyo tour guide
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
I had a great experience with my tour guide Coco. She was very insightful and friendly. I
really enjoyed the tour with her and I think she is a great tour guide and she gave me a
great information about Tokyo and made my trip much more enjoyable.
Oct 3, 2024
Dreamer43508203689
Tokyo highlights – Imperial Palace, Fish Market, Rotation Sushi lunch, Takeshita Street.
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide…
Oct 3, 2024
Dreamer43508203689
Tokyo highlights – Imperial Palace, Fish Market, Rotation Sushi lunch, Takeshita Street.
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Coco worked with us to create an itinerary that highlighted many of Tokyo’s top destinations. She was very professional, informative, warm and friendly. We particularly appreciated that she began communicating with us about tour options days before we arrived in Tokyo. Our tour with Coco was a great start to our stay in Tokyo.