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.
Tour Itinerary
- Hotel at 10:00, arrived at Nezu at 10:40, from Nezu Shrine to Hebi-michi, Yomise Street, Yanaka Ginza, Asakura Museum of Sculpture Street, Yanaka Cemetery, passed through Ueno Park from Tokyo University of the Arts, arriving at 14:00. After lunch near Ueno Station, arrived at Asakusa at 14:50, strolled around the area after visiting Senso-ji Temple, finished strolling at 16:00, and rode together to Ueno on the Ginza Line.
What Is a Private Walking Tour of Tokyo's Yanaka and Nezu Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visiting from North America. Since they wanted the taiyaki from Nezu even if it meant waiting 30 minutes, we placed an order in advance, visited Nezu Shrine, and returned 30 minutes later to enjoy it. As we began walking through the alleys of Sendagi, one of the guests was surprised and asked, "Is this really Tokyo?" and I answered, "This is the center of Tokyo." We walked along Hebimichi, peeked into Isetatsu for its traditional chiyogami paper, and happened to catch a finger puppet show at Warakichi, which they thoroughly enjoyed. After eating a brown sugar manju at Fukumaru Manju, they were already full before having ice cream at Waguriya, but they enjoyed the old streetscape of Yanaka and window shopping. At Yanaka Cemetery, they looked with great interest at Japanese graves. When I explained that the refreshingly green Ueno Park had been the grounds of Kaneiji Temple during the Edo period, the guests were amazed at its vast size. They were also fascinated by the Ueno Great Buddha, of which only the face remains. As we parted, one of the guests told me, "The experience I learned from you was truly enjoyable."
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 | Other | Ariake～Toyosu | 251JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Toyosu～Yurakucho | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Yurakucho～Nezu | 29JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Ueno～Asakusa | 180JPY |
| Total | 638JPY | ||
I have been working as a tour guide once a week since 2024.
I grew up in Osaka and studied in Kyoto,
I have been working for the lvestock division of the national organization of agricultural cooperatives.
Japan depends on imports for most of its livestock feed ingredients.
I visited 10 countries on business and stayed in New Orleans working for a subsidiary company for 3 years.
I visited 10 other countries with my wife for sightseeing.
I also started writing Haiku, Japanese traditional poem, after retiring.
One of my favorite is ” Bundled up, you are like a Matryoshka.”
Looking forward to see you!
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice…
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice and helped us . to learn so much. His English is really good and he is extremely well prepared.
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour…
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour guide was fantastic. From the time we paired, we messaged on WhatsApp as he built our customizable tour day! He gave great suggestions and asked great questions to build a wonderful day.
The day itself was perfect. He met us at the hotel, and guided us fantastically. He had detailed history and facts to share and was well prepared to ensure that we had everything we needed.
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our…
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our amazing and thorough tour guide and already prepared an itinerary for us based on his recommendations and our preferences well before arrived in Japan.
On the day of the guided tour – there was a brief introduction on Japanese history – and became the common thread as he brought us through each site and guided us on the subways and introduced us to amazing small mom and pop & artisan shops we would have otherwise never found!
Lots of walking so make sure to wear super comfy shoes but 10/10 would do it again!
Learned so much in a short time and was able to spend the rest of days in Tokyo shopping and going to other places.
Thank you, Lance, for sharing with us your beautiful country! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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!…