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
- 900 Hotel Hyatt Regency
- 940-1040 Fukagawa Edo Museum
- 1050-1220 Edo-Tokyo Museum
- 1220-1320 Lunch
- 1340-1430 Asakusa
- 1450-1420 Ginza Mitsukoshi Department Store
What Is a Rainy-Day Private Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Fukagawa, Ryogoku, Asakusa, and Ginza
The guests stayed at a hotel known for its popular open-air cafe. They were a group visiting from North America, and after Tokyo they planned to travel to the Japan Alps.
Because rain was forecast, the day before I changed the route to the Fukagawa Edo Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Asakusa, and the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store.
When the guests shopped at an Edo-style souvenir shop along Fukagawa Edo Museum Street, the shopkeeper performed a nankin tamasudare bamboo-screen act for us.
There was an extremely long line at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. An announcement said that buying an online ticket even at that moment would let visitors skip the line, so we tried, but the guests' smartphones and cards were rejected several times, and we were finally able to buy the tickets on my own smartphone.
For lunch we ended up in a political discussion at "Yabukyu," a restaurant in the dining area with a sumo ring inside Ryogoku Station.
While slurping tempura soba, one of the guests asked, "Why is Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi so popular?"
Being treated to curry nanban, I replied, "That's a good question. The message of restoring a strong Japan, along with the sense of renewal from having the first female prime minister, seems to be working in her favor."
In turn, I asked, "Why do you think Mr. Trump was chosen as president in your country?"
One of the guests said, "When the economy gets bad, people tend to vote for a president from a different party."
Another added, "There were people who reacted against Mr. Obama, and many who feared immigrants would take their jobs."
They went on, "From now on, we have to worry about AI taking our jobs. Don't you think so?"
I said, "You prefer a human guide over an AI guide, don't you?"
The reply was, "That's certainly true."
When I said, "Finally, I'll take you to Ginza, the most luxurious shopping district in Japan," one of the guests said, "Let's just go straight back to the hotel," but the group wouldn't allow it. (laughs)
As we were parting, one of the guests asked me, "If a friend of ours wanted to request you as a guide, what should they do?"
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 | Tochomae～Kiyosumi-shirakawa | 280JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Kiyosumi-shirakawa～Ryogoku | 180JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Ryogoku～Asakusabashi | 160JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Asakusabashi～Asakusa | 180JPY |
| Total | 800JPY | ||
I have been working as a tour guide once a week since 2024.
I grew up in Osaka and studied in Kyoto,
I have been working for the lvestock division of the national organization of agricultural cooperatives.
Japan depends on imports for most of its livestock feed ingredients.
I visited 10 countries on business and stayed in New Orleans working for a subsidiary company for 3 years.
I visited 10 other countries with my wife for sightseeing.
I also started writing Haiku, Japanese traditional poem, after retiring.
One of my favorite is ” Bundled up, you are like a Matryoshka.”
Looking forward to see you!
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice…
Sep 24, 2026
benoitlJ9021HN
Perfect guide tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was very nice and helped us . to learn so much. His English is really good and he is extremely well prepared.
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour…
Sep 19, 2026
H1282JBkarinas
Great tour with Lance from Japan Guide Agency!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Lance our tour guide was fantastic. From the time we paired, we messaged on WhatsApp as he built our customizable tour day! He gave great suggestions and asked great questions to build a wonderful day.
The day itself was perfect. He met us at the hotel, and guided us fantastically. He had detailed history and facts to share and was well prepared to ensure that we had everything we needed.
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our…
Sep 10, 2026
Silver_F
amazing 8-hour walking tour with Lance!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Lance was our amazing and thorough tour guide and already prepared an itinerary for us based on his recommendations and our preferences well before arrived in Japan.
On the day of the guided tour – there was a brief introduction on Japanese history – and became the common thread as he brought us through each site and guided us on the subways and introduced us to amazing small mom and pop & artisan shops we would have otherwise never found!
Lots of walking so make sure to wear super comfy shoes but 10/10 would do it again!
Learned so much in a short time and was able to spend the rest of days in Tokyo shopping and going to other places.
Thank you, Lance, for sharing with us your beautiful country! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He…
Jul 4, 2026
317roxaneh
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great time in Tokyo!
We had a great day with Lance! He had a good sense of humor and was so kind to meet us at our Air BnB, which was a bit out of the way. He gave us a great crash course on Japanese history before heading out on our adventure around Tokyo, visiting shrines, markets, a museum and garden. It was so helpful to have him with us navigating the train system, and he took us to an amazing sushi place for a lovely lunch. All in all, it was really fun and we were able to better appreciate the places we visited with him providing information and history along the way. Would definitely recommend!…