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
- 9:00 Meet at the hotel, board the taxi
- 9:45 Sengakuji Temple, Ako Gishi Memorial Museum
- 11:30 Lunch
- 12:45 Imperial Palace
- 14:00 Disperse
Tour Itinerary in Detail
The tour started at 9:00 at hotel, board the taxi and ended at 14:00. The day ran to 5 hours from start to finish. It included lunch at 11:30.
Over the course of the day the route took in Sengakuji Temple, Ako Gishi Memorial Museum at 9:45 and Imperial Palace at 12:45.
Title: Can You Do a Private Tour of Sengakuji Temple and the Imperial Palace in Tokyo? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from Oceania. Originally, the plan had been to visit Asakusa, but two days beforehand they contacted me to say, "We watched a movie about the Ako Roshi, so we would like to go to Sengakuji Temple and the Imperial Palace," and the itinerary was changed at short notice.
Since I had never had guests request Sengakuji before, and because there were younger members in the group, I explained that "these are the graves of real historical figures, and we must show the utmost respect." In response, they told me that the Maori also have such important places and that they fully understand the value of showing respect. The film they had watched was "47 Ronin" starring Keanu Reeves, which differs from the historical record, but they had remembered the names of the main figures, so the explanations went smoothly. Sengakuji Temple is very welcoming to foreign visitors, and on occasion a monk explained things to us directly in English.
They were especially moved to hear the story of Oishi Chikara, the son of Oishi Kuranosuke, who had only just come of age and died at the age of sixteen, and they sympathized with how young he had been.
The group offered incense at the graves of Asano Takumi-no-kami, Yozenin, and all forty-seven retainers, and viewed the entire memorial hall and the display of wooden figures. They thanked me, saying they could never have come here on their own.
Then, at the group's strong request, we went to see the site of the Corridor of the Pines (Matsu no Oroka) at the Imperial Palace, where they reflected deeply, thinking, "So this is where the sword incident took place…"
Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
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!