Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Minoruasai
November, 2025
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
- 08:30 Meet at the lobby of Hotel.
- 09:15-10:45 Guide through Sumida River → Kaminarimon → Nakamise Shopping Street → Hozomon → Main Hall → Stone Bridge → Asakusa Shrine → Kannon Street. After finishing, head to Ameyoko.
- 11:00-11:20 Guide through Ameyoko Street. After finishing, move to Tsukiji Outer Market.
- 11:50-12:30 Guide through Tsukiji Outer Market. After finishing, move to Shibuya.
- 13:15-13:50 Lunch at "Oreryu Shio Ramen" on Center Street. After finishing, guide through Animate Shibuya, Pokemon Center Shibuya, and Nintendo Shibuya Store. There, they finished shopping for their two children (a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old boy).
- 14:40 After finishing shopping, having just arrived in Japan from Texas yesterday on the 3rd, they seemed quite tired from the jet lag, so they decided to return to the hotel by taxi, and we parted in front of Shibuya PARCO.
Can You Do a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Covering Asakusa, Tsukiji, and Shibuya Anime Shops? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guest was a visitor from North America who came to Japan for business meetings with a subsidiary in Japan. Having arrived at Haneda on November 3, the day before the tour, and with only one free day available on November 4, the guest applied for a tour. The route we had discussed in advance was Sensoji Temple → Ameyoko shopping street → lunch (ramen) → Tsukiji Outer Market → the Imperial Palace Outer Garden, but during the tour the guest asked, "Is there somewhere I can buy souvenirs related to Japanese animation, Pokemon, and Nintendo games?" Since everything could be found in Shibuya, we decided to skip the Imperial Palace Outer Garden and instead visit Animate Shibuya, Pokemon Center Shibuya, and the Nintendo Shibuya store. The guest purchased about ten anime-related goods and Nintendo character goods in total, and was very satisfied to have been able to buy the most important souvenirs the day after arriving in Japan. I was glad to receive words of heartfelt thanks.
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 | Takanawadai～Asakusa | 900JPY |
| Section 2 | Free Pass | Asakusa～Ueno | 0JPY |
| Section 3 | Free Pass | Ueno-hirokoji～Tsukiji | 0JPY |
| Section 4 | Free Pass | Tsukiji～Shibuya | 0JPY |
| Total | 900JPY | ||
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.