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
- 8:00 Customer arrived late, decided to extend by 1 hour (cash payment)
- 9:00 Meet at hotel, take the train
- 9:30 Asakusa
- 10:10 Take the train
- 10:30 Ueno National Museum
- 12:00 Take the train
- 12:30 Lunch in Shinjuku
- 13:30 Walk to Shinjuku Gyoen
- 14:00 Shinjuku Gyoen
- 15:00 Disband at Sendagaya Station
Because this was a last-minute booking and the destinations had not been decided beforehand, we determined the itinerary as the tour progressed. First, since the guests really wanted to visit Senso-ji Temple, we headed to Asakusa. The guests seemed to want to learn deeply about history and Japanese culture, and asked questions such as whether people had lived in this area before Senso-ji Temple was built. At Ueno Park and the National Museum as well, there were questions about the fires caused by the Tokyo air raids, and about the lives of the former samurai class after the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle and the sword abolition edict.
For lunch, the guests wanted to eat udon, so we had lunch at a udon restaurant in Shinjuku and then walked to Shinjuku Gyoen. The plan had been to keep it brief and move on to Meiji Shrine, but since the guests wanted to spend a little more time there, they made their own way to Meiji Shrine on foot afterward.
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 | Train | Shimbashi～Asakusa | 220JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Ueno | 66JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Ueno～Shinjuku | 208JPY |
| Total | 494JPY | ||
Hi, I’m Sam.
I am happy to welcome you all to Japan.
Since I was a child, my parents welcomed many international students into our home and I had many opportunities to interact with them. My mother is a translator, and I have always seen her guiding foreigners around Japan, so it was natural for me to start doing the same.
I am good at guiding people to popular places such as Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Asakusa, as well as photogenic spots in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Since I was a child, I’ve watched anime like Pokémon and played Nintendo games, and I still buy around 100 manga comic books a month. I love shopping in Akihabara! I currently live in Urayasu City, Chiba, so close that I can see fireworks from Disneyland from my house every night.
Please feel free to ask me anything!
Sep 26, 2026
Carl_W
Tokyo city tour custom
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Sam was very knowledgeable and…
Sep 26, 2026
Carl_W
Tokyo city tour custom
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Sam was very knowledgeable and accommodating. She knew about all of the city and train system and food
Sep 7, 2026
782alessandrof
Sam was amazing
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo in 1 Day from Yokohama: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
It was a very rainy day…
Sep 7, 2026
782alessandrof
Sam was amazing
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo in 1 Day from Yokohama: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
It was a very rainy day and Sam went above and beyond to make sure we had the greatest experience and we stayed mostly dry. She chose an amazing ramen restaurant and made us feel cared for and very comfortable. She talked a lot about the history and the culture and it is clear that she is very passionate about her job. When we come back to Tokyo, we will request her again.
Aug 24, 2026
596vincentz
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Family-Friendly Customized Tour with Licensed Guide
Sam was an star tour guide for us
our Guide Sam was…
Aug 24, 2026
596vincentz
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Family-Friendly Customized Tour with Licensed Guide
Sam was an star tour guide for us
our Guide Sam was amazing! she was really flexible with us and try to look out for our need during the trip and went above and beyond to help make our trip a smooth experience.
Aug 10, 2026
piperl686
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Honeymoon Tour in Tokyo
We are so happy that…
Aug 10, 2026
piperl686
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Honeymoon Tour in Tokyo
We are so happy that we got to experience Tokyo with Sam (Sayumi) as our tour guide! She was so friendly, helpful, and brimming with fun facts. We really appreciated that after giving her a draft itinerary, she provided great recommendations about how to maximize our experience on the tour. She also went above and beyond to help us find a few specific items on our shopping list in Shibuya and Shinjuku, and went out of her way to take us to several One Piece stores because we mentioned it was a favorite show of ours. Overall we are so pleased and would highly recommend Sam to anyone looking to have a blast in Tokyo!