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
- 13:30 Meeting place: Hotel New Otani Tokyo Garden Tower
- 13:40 Depart Akasaka-mitsuke Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 14:10 Arrive Asakusa Station
- Asakusa Sensoji Temple
- Asakusa Shrine
- Nakamise-dori Shopping Street
- Lunch: Hidakaya
- 15:10 Depart Asakusa Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- Ueno Station
- (JR Yamanote Line)
- 15:30 Arrive Nippori Station
- Nippori Yanaka Ginza
- 16:00 Depart Sendagi Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- 16:10 Arrive Nezu Station
- Nezu Nezu Shrine
- 17:00 Depart Nezu Station
- (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)
- 17:30 Arrive Meiji-jingumae Station
- Harajuku Meiji Shrine
- Rest: Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu
- Takeshita Street
- 18:30 Depart Harajuku Station
- (JR Yamanote Line)
- 18:40 Arrive Shibuya Station
- Shibuya Scramble Crossing
- Hachiko Statue
- 19:40 Depart Shibuya Station
- (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line)
- 20:00 Arrive Akasaka-mitsuke Station
- 20:00 Disband: Akasaka-mitsuke Station
Title: What Is a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Yanaka, Meiji Shrine, and Shibuya
The guests were visitors from Europe, and it was their first time in Japan. They arrived at Haneda Airport this morning and took a limousine bus to their Hotel. They planned to stay in Japan for a short period, visiting Mount Fuji and Hakone in addition to spots within the city. They said they were looking forward to Japanese food and touring anime-related places. Although they had only arrived this morning, they walked around energetically. It was a tour under quite hot and humid weather.
Asakusa was as crowded as ever. There were questions such as "When was this temple built?", "Is it always this crowded?", and "Do all Japanese people believe in Buddhism?" There were also questions like "What kind of teaching is Buddhism?"
Seeing many people wearing kimono, they also asked, "Do Japanese people wear kimono in daily life?"
Since they had not had breakfast, they had ramen at a ramen shop. After that, we went from Yanaka Ginza to Nezu Shrine. At Yanaka Ginza, they said, "Now I understand what old Japanese townscapes look like." At Nezu Shrine, they passed through the torii gates and took photos, asking, "What are torii gates for?"
At Meiji Shrine, there were questions such as "What kind of religion is Shinto? How is Buddhism different from Shinto?" They commented, "It's wonderful that such a green place exists in the center of the city." We took a break at a café, where they ordered beer.
At Takeshita Street, they bought many souvenirs for their family, such as T-shirts, dolls, and hats. After that, we moved to Shibuya. At the Scramble Crossing, they commented, "Why are there so many people?" and "It reminds me of Piccadilly Circus." We took photos in front of the Hachiko statue. There were also questions and comments such as "The town is so orderly and clean," "Everyone is so polite," and "There are no trash cans anywhere in town."
Finally, I saw them off at Akasaka-mitsuke Station, where we parted ways.
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 | Akasaka-mitsuke Station～Asakusa Station | 209JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa Station～Ueno Station | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Ueno Station～Nippori Station | 146JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Sendagi Station～Nezu Station | 178JPY |
| Section 5 | Subway | Nezu Station～Meiji-jingumae Station | 209JPY |
| Section 6 | Train | Harajuku Station～Shibuya Station | 146JPY |
| Section 7 | Subway | Shibuya Station～Akasaka-mitsuke Station | 178JPY |
| Total | 1,244JPY | ||
Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.