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
- 10:00 Met at the Hotel lobby. Since there were no prior requests, we discussed the route in the lobby and decided on Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory → Sensoji Temple → Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden → Shibuya Crossing → Harajuku Takeshita Street, then headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory on foot.
- 10:30-11:35 The Tokyo Metropolitan Government North Observatory was open, but for some reason today the wait time was unusually long at 30 minutes. When I asked how they would like to proceed, they said that since we had come all this way, they would go up, so we went up and I explained the major buildings of Tokyo. At that time, they said, "We are moving to Osaka tomorrow, so please advise us on how to purchase Shinkansen tickets," so we headed to the JR Midori no Madoguchi ticket office at Shinjuku Station.
- 11:45-11:55 Helped purchase the next day's Shinkansen tickets. After finishing, we headed to Asakusa by subway.
- 12:35-14:10 Guided them through Nakamise Street and Sensoji Temple. When we finished, they requested lunch as they were hungry, so we had ramen for lunch at "Tanaka Soba" on Kannon Street. They were pleased that it was delicious. After finishing, we moved to Shimbashi on the Ginza Line, then transferred to JR to Hamamatsucho Station, and went to Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden.
- 14:30-15:15 Guided them through Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden. After finishing, we moved to Shibuya Station on the Yamanote Line.
- 15:35-16:00 Guided them through the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Also introduced Hachiko. After finishing, we went to Harajuku by subway.
- 16:15-16:45 Toured Takeshita Street, where they purchased souvenirs at the SANRIO shop for a friend's daughter. After finishing, I saw them off to Shinjuku and said goodbye.
What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, a Japanese Garden, and Shibuya
The guests were visitors from North America, and this was their first trip to Japan. They were spending only one day in Tokyo before moving on to Osaka by bullet train the next day, then staying in Kyoto and continuing to Hiroshima, before returning to Tokyo and flying home from Narita. They had just arrived in Japan the previous evening, so as the afternoon went on the effects of jet lag became a little noticeable, but they happily visited Asakusa, a Japanese garden, and the Shibuya scramble crossing as they had requested. The guests mentioned that their work involves very demanding hours, and one of them said, "I just want to relax and spend the time at a leisurely pace." In that sense, today worked out well, as it was the day after a holiday period and Senso-ji Temple, Shiba Rikyu Gardens, Shibuya, and Harajuku were not overly crowded. The one surprise was that we waited in line for a full 30 minutes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck, which was a first for me. I felt bad that it happened right at the start, but while we waited, I used the time to share as much information as I could about Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. When we said goodbye, they told me they had a wonderful time, so I was relieved as we parted ways.
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 | Subway | Shinjuku～Asakusa | 700JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Shimbashi | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Shimbashi～Hamamatsucho | 150JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Hamamatsucho～Shibuya | 210JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Shibuya～Meiji-jingumae | 0JPY |
| Section 6 | Subway | Meiji-jingumae～Shinjuku | 0JPY |
| Total | 1,060JPY | ||
I acquired national guide license in 2014, and I have been doing guide work full fledged since 2016. In my career before starting guide work, I was a business man and made more than 1,000 business trips both abroad and in Japan, and that experience is my foundation as a guide because I came to know so many places both abroad and in Japan. I have been taking care of both group and individual tourists, and the number of foreign guests I have taken care is close to 2,500 so far. I am based in Tokyo, but I can cover guide work in many prefectures throughout Japan. When I take care of foreign guests, my major concern is to listen attentively to them, find out what they want to know and do in Japan, and give them appropriate guiding in accordance with what I heard from my guests. I would like to provide tailor made tour as much as possible for every precious guest who kindly chose Japan as the tour destination.
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our…
Aug 1, 2025
8
898kendrap
Great first day in Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Asai, our tour guide, made our first day in Tokyo so memorable and enjoyable! He shared his knowledge and love for the city as he showed us around. We now understand how to navigate the train system, and he even left us a list of how to explore other areas of the city by train. Our tour was a fun way to get acquainted with this amazing city!
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture,…
Jul 14, 2025
Anette_V
Perfect
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Minoru Asai was very friendly and knowledgeable about culture, history and
society. He picked and showed us more than We expected. Also he was good Company for
both me, my husbond and our son aged 22.
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We…
Jun 30, 2025
liammL2246HL
Amazing experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had an amazing private tour with Minoru Asai! We loved seeing all of the sights on the tour and Minoru was extremely knowledge about all things in Tokyo and else-wear in Japan. We were able to adjust the stops due to the heat (it was up to 35C!) and Minoru had great suggestions for things to check out. Highly recommend!
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored…
Jun 26, 2025
394milesd
Excellent guide making an excellent day in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A perfect day, tailored to our needs (and the weather) and delivered so attentively by our guide Minoru Asai. He was in contact in advance of the day to understand our interests, and advised us on practicalities and remained flexible throughout the day as required. His knowledge, and passion, for the history of Tokyo made the day! Could not have asked for more.