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
- 09:00 Meet at the lobby of Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Reconfirmed the previously discussed route, etc., settling on the route of Imperial Palace – Sensoji Temple – Shibuya Scramble – Meiji Shrine – Takeshita Street. After the meeting, went to Shinjuku Station on the Marunouchi Line to head to the Imperial Palace.
- 09:45-10:45 Got off at National Diet Building Station, showed them the Diet Building, then walked to Sakuradamon. Moved from Sakuradamon to Nijubashi, explained about the Imperial Palace (including the Edo Castle era) and the imperial system, then went to Nijubashimae Station to move to Asakusa. During the guided tour, the parents mentioned that their 9-year-old son Peter wanted to go to the Pokemon Center. It was decided to stop by in Shibuya.
- 11:10-12:10 Guided them through Sensoji Temple: Kaminarimon – Nakamise Street – Hozomon – Main Hall – Stone Bridge – Asakusa Shrine. After finishing, moved to Shibuya.
- 12:50-13:45 Guided them at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, walked through Shibuya Center Street to the Pokemon Center on the 6th floor of PARCO. Since there were no particular shopping requests, the center visit ended smoothly. After finishing, moved to Harajuku.
- 14:00-14:50 Guided them at Meiji Shrine. When I was about to guide them through Takeshita Street, they said they wanted to prioritize returning to the hotel to pick up their suitcases and moving to the Hilton Tokyo Bay where they were staying that day, so I took them to Hyatt Regency. On the way, at JR Shinjuku Station, I took them to the Saikyo Line platform bound for Shin-Kiba and explained how to get around after we parted.
- 15:10 Said goodbye at the underground corridor of the west exit of Shinjuku Station.
What's a Private Family-Friendly Day Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Shibuya, and the Pokémon Center
The guests were a group visiting Japan from North America. After visiting family destinations abroad, they came to spend time in Tokyo. Their request was to skip lunch and to follow a route we had discussed in advance, so I guided them accordingly. While we were touring Senso-ji Temple, they mentioned that one of the guests wanted to visit the Pokémon Center, so I explained that there is one in Shibuya and offered to take them there after our planned visit to the Scramble Crossing. When I asked why they wanted to go, they explained that many of their relatives and friends love Pokémon, so they wanted to keep up with the conversations. They were not planning to buy anything in particular, and simply seeing the center made them very happy.
The guests were going to spend the following two days at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, and they were very concerned about how to get from Shinjuku to their hotel near the bay. I explained that they could take the Saikyo Line to Shin-Kiba, transfer to the Keiyo Line to Maihama, and then take the hotel shuttle bus that departs every 20 minutes from the Maihama rotary to their hotel. I wrote this out on paper, and before saying goodbye I even took them to the Saikyo Line platform at Shinjuku Station to explain it in person, which put them very much at ease.
I had been quite concerned in advance about coping with the extreme summer heat, but on the day the temperature in the city happened to be around 30°C, making the weather comfortable everywhere we went, which was very lucky.
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 | Shinjuku～Kokkai-gijidomae | 700JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | Kokkai-gijidomae～Asakusa | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Free Pass | Asakusa～Shibuya | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Free Pass | Shibuya～Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) | 0JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Harajuku～Shinjuku | 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.