Tokyo in One Day: Take the Hibiya Line to Ueno — Guide Tatsuki

Title: What Is a Full-Day Private Walking Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on the Imperial Palace, Tsukiji, and Ueno

We met on time in the lobby. Since it was only very lightly raining at first, we decided to proceed as planned with a walk from the front of the Imperial Palace toward Sakuradamon Gate. When I mentioned that the East Gardens were unfortunately closed today, the guests said they had already strolled there after arriving. While talking about the Tatsumi Yagura turret, the stone walls of the moat, the black pines, and the Great Fire of Meireki, we reached the front of Sakashitamon Gate, where a procession practicing with horse-drawn carriages happened to pass by, which led to a conversation about the ceremony for the presentation of credentials; the topics and related questions were endless as we strolled to Nijubashi Bridge and Sakuradamon Gate. As it began to rain, I suggested taking the subway from Hibiya Station to Tsukiji, but looking at Google Maps, the guests asked whether it was walkable, and when I said it was about 30–40 minutes away, we decided to walk. The guests loved walking, so we made our way on foot to Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple while talking about the Hibiya Inlet, the Ginza Kinza mint, and kabuki. Speaking of temples, the guests mentioned that they would visit a Zen temple in the Kansai region later, so I asked where, and they said Koyasan; since that is not a Zen sect, I took the opportunity to give a very brief explanation of the various Buddhist sects. The area outside Tsukiji was very crowded with people in raincoats and holding umbrellas due to the rain, so we walked along a relatively empty street and through the outer market to visit Namiyoke Shrine. Since sushi was planned for tonight, I looked for a tempura restaurant, but every tempura shop had a line at lunchtime, and the guests said that sushi is good to eat any number of times, so we had a sushi lunch at Tsukiji Nihonkai. As the rain did not stop, we decided to go to the Tokyo National Museum in the afternoon and moved to Ueno. The guests were surprised to see the art museums and museums lined up together. Inside the Tokyo National Museum, they looked at the exhibits with great interest. Since I am a certified sake sommelier, the guests had expressed a longstanding wish to end the tour with a sake tasting, so we moved to the Japan Sake Information Center in Toranomon. We ordered the standard set of five varieties, and they enjoyed comparing them with wine and more. They planned to walk back to the Hotel from there, but since they loved walking and I had seen them skillfully using Google Maps, I was able to part ways with peace of mind.

Click here for more details: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Tatsuki

I am Tatsuki Endo, English speaking guide, as well as Kikisake-shi (Sommelier of Sake) and Beer navigator.
My usual activity is walking tours around Tokyo area, including Yokohama, Kamakura and Hakone. There are a lot to see, just let me know what your interests are and I can suggest where to visit.

If you are interested in hidden gem, here are some examples;

Kawasaki, located between Tokyo and Yokohama near Haneda Airport, is the second station of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido, the 400 years old highway towards Kyoto from Edo (old name of Tokyo). You can do Hand-cut glass experiment, stopping at a bar for sake tasting, visiting Kawasaki-Daishi temple that receives 3 million worshippers in the new year period.

Another spot is Echigo-Yuzawa in Niigata prefecture, 75 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen train. Echigo-Yuzawa is “Onsen” (hot springs) town. You can enjoy visiting Sake brewery, skiing in winter, veiwing Sakura (cherry blossom) in spring. Appreciation of contemporary art displays in open air and old carvings at temples, in neighboring towns will be also memorable experience.

I am so excited to show you around !

Tatsuki
Government Licensed Guide Interpreter (English)
Kikisake-shi (Sommelier of Sake)
Beer Navigator