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 Meet in the lobby of Hotel Cabin President. Reconfirmed the previously arranged course, and set the route as Sensoji Temple → East Gardens of the Imperial Palace → Shibuya Scramble Crossing → Meiji Shrine. Used a common one-day subway pass.
- 10:30-12:30 Guided from Asakusa Station to Azumabashi Bridge, then from Azumabashi Bridge to Nakamise shopping street, Hozomon Gate, main hall, and Asakusa Shrine. As the two of them will be freely moving around Tokyo from tomorrow, the 12th, until the 15th, they said they would come back here again slowly. After finishing, moved to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.
- 13:05-14:10 Guided the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Although it was Sunday, there were fewer people than expected, and it was a quiet environment, so both of them liked the gardens very much. After finishing, moved to Shibuya.
- 14:40-15:15 Guided the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Hachiko. After finishing, moved to Meiji-jingumae via the Fukutoshin Line.
- 15:35-16:25 Guided Meiji Shrine. As it had exceeded six hours by the time we finished, the customers said, "We'll wander around this area a bit on our own from here," so we parted at the entrance of Meiji Shrine.
Where Can You Buy Tokyo Subway Passes and Find Chopstick Shops in Asakusa? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests mentioned they would return to Nakamise Street another day to shop at their leisure, and asked me to recommend chopstick shops and a knife shop, so I introduced two chopstick shops on Nakamise Street and the knife shop "Kanesou." They also wanted to purchase a 48-hour subway ticket valid from the 12th until the morning of the 14th, and since these are sold at Omotesando Station, which we passed while traveling from Otemachi to Shibuya, I helped them buy it there, which delighted them very much. They had actually wanted to purchase it at Kachidoki Station, but the common subway 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour tickets are only sold at Ueno Station, Ginza Station, Shinjuku Station, Omotesando Station, Tokyo Station, and Ikebukuro Station. So for today's tour, they purchased a one-day pass for 900 yen, and were pleased to be able to buy a 48-hour ticket for 1,200 yen per person for the following days (which works out to only 600 yen per day since it covers two days).
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 | Kachidoki～Asakusa | 900JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Otemachi | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Otemachi～Shibuya | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Shibuya～Meiji-jingumae | 0JPY |
| Total | 900JPY | ||
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.