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
- 08:00 Gathered at the lobby of Monday Apartment Premium Akihabara. When asked about the places they wanted to visit, they said Senso-ji Temple → Imperial Palace → Shibuya Scramble Crossing → Meiji Shrine, and the tour departed.
- 08:40-10:25 After arriving at Asakusa, guided them through Azumabashi Sumida River bank → Nakamise shopping street → Senso-ji Temple → stone bridge → Kannon Street, and when finished I confirmed about moving to the Imperial Palace, but with the two children (a 6-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl), especially the 4-year-old girl wanting to sit in the stroller and not walking, and since the Imperial Palace has strong sunlight, we decided to skip it and go to Shibuya. At the same time, one additional request came up: the 6-year-old boy (Tumanaka-kun) wanted to go to the Pokemon Center. So we went to Shibuya and decided to also visit the Shibuya Pokemon Center.
- 11:00-12:25 Arrived at Shibuya and guided them to Hachiko and the Scramble Crossing. After that, we walked to the Nintendo Center and Pokemon Center on the 6th floor of Shibuya Parco. Since Tumanaka-kun is a Pikachu fan, they purchased about 4 plush toys and finished. Then there was a request: "We want to have lunch."
- 12:40-13:30 Had lunch at "Oreryu Shio Ramen" in Shibuya Center Gai. After finishing, we moved to Harajuku on the Yamanote Line.
- 13:40-14:30 Guided them through Meiji Shrine. There was no wind and it was quite hot and humid. Because of this and since the two children had become quite tired, they decided to return to the hotel and the tour ended.
What's a Private Family Tour of Tokyo Like in Summer? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, and the Pokemon Center
The guests were a group visiting from Oceania. After arriving in Tokyo, they had spent one day at Disneyland and one day at DisneySea before this Tokyo sightseeing tour. They brought a folding stroller for the youngest member of the group. As soon as we started moving together, I noticed that one of the younger members of the group would sometimes climb into the stroller, which occasionally led to a bit of squabbling among the children, though for the most part the youngest used it. For the tour, having the stroller was reassuring since it also provided shade, but folding and unfolding it repeatedly must have been hard physical work for the adults in the group. The temperature was around 35°C, and with almost no wind that day, walking around both Sensoji Temple and Meiji Shrine required considerable stamina. In the end, the children became quite tired and we headed back to the Hotel, but they told me they had "a really great time," which was a relief. Visiting the Pokemon Center was a major goal of the tour for one of the children, and even though the line for payment after choosing a plush toy was surprisingly long — about a 40-minute wait — the child was overjoyed, which was a great help. For lunch, some of the guests ordered tonkotsu ramen, while others ordered karaage and fried rice, and both were big hits, enjoyed as very delicious, so I was glad. Before the tour, there had been a note mentioning an infant, so I set out quite concerned about safety in the extreme heat, but there were no problems, and although the children were fairly tired by the end, they finished the day in good spirits, which left me very relieved.
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 | Free Pass | Akihabara～Asakusa | 700JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | Asakusa～Shibuya | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Shibuya～Harajuku | 150JPY |
| Total | 850JPY | ||
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.