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 Met at the front desk on the 5th floor of Hotel Tokyu. We reconfirmed the route we had decided via email in advance, settling on the order of Sensoji Temple → Tsukiji Outer Market (lunch) → Imperial Palace → Meiji Shrine. Also, since they wanted to first issue Welcome Suica cards at Shibuya Station, we decided to help with that.
- 09:15-09:30 Went through the process of purchasing 4 Welcome Suica cards at the JR East Travel Concierge counter at Shibuya Station. After finishing, we headed to Asakusa from the Ginza Line Shibuya Station.
- 10:05-11:55 Guided them around Asakusa. In the order of Azuma Bridge → purchasing matcha at Masudaya Sohonten → Kaminarimon → Nakamise Street → Hozomon → Sensoji Main Hall → Ishibashi (koi carp) → Asakusa Shrine → Kannon Street. After finishing, we moved to Tsukiji Outer Market for lunch.
- 12:20-13:20 Guided them around Tsukiji Outer Market and had lunch at a conveyor-belt sushi shop of Sushizanmai. The wait time was only 5 minutes, which was a relief. After finishing, we moved to the Imperial Palace.
- 13:35-13:55 We got off at Hibiya Station on the Hibiya Line and were walking toward the Main Gate of the Imperial Palace (Nijubashi) while I was guiding, when heavy rain and strong winds hit. The husband, Matt, said, "Let's not push it today and go back to the subway. We now know the location, so we'll come here when we walk freely around Tokyo over the next three days." So we entered Nijubashimae Station on the Chiyoda Subway Line and moved to Meiji Shrine.
- 14:20-15:10 Guided them around Meiji Shrine. When we finished, Elizabeth requested, "I want to eat donuts at I'M DONUTS? and then go shopping at Takeshita Street." So, after explaining how to get to Takeshita Street in front of Harajuku Station, I took them to I'M DONUTS? and said goodbye there.
What Is a Private 6-Hour Tokyo Family Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Tsukiji, and Meiji Shrine
The guests were a group visiting from North America on a 14-day trip covering Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Okinawa. They had planned this family trip during a long summer break. At Nakamise, the group looked into a few shops at first, but since all of them looked interesting and it was raining heavily, some of the guests decided to return to Nakamise on their own another day. On the subway heading to Asakusa, I asked whether there was anything they particularly wanted to buy, and one of the guests said they definitely wanted to buy matcha. I recommended purchasing it at Masudaya in Asakusa, and they were happy to buy it there. Because it was raining quite hard at the Tsukiji Outer Market, I finished the overall guiding in a shorter time than usual and we went into a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. The guests had requested "delicious sushi," and they were surprised, saying, "Even though it's conveyor-belt sushi, it's very delicious!" The sushi here is quite good, so I was glad they enjoyed it. It was a six-hour tour with occasional heavy rain and strong winds, but fortunately the temperature stayed below 30 degrees. Meiji Shrine, which usually feels like a sauna, was very comfortable this time, and the rain even stopped during our visit. The guests said, "This forest and shrine have a very sacred atmosphere and make you feel refreshed," and they liked it very much, which was another good outcome. The six hours ended right there, and since Takeshita Street was for shopping, I carefully showed them the location before we parted. The guests told me, "We were so glad you guided us with such detailed information about Japan," so I feel they enjoyed the tour.
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 | Shibuya～Asakusa | 700JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | Asakusa～Tsukiji | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Free Pass | Tsukiji～Hibiya | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Free Pass | Nijubashimae～Meiji-jingumae (Harajuku) | 0JPY |
| Total | 700JPY | ||
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.