Tokyo in One Day: Shibuya Station — Guide Nobby
August, 2026
Hello and how do you do?
My name is Nobuo Kokure, and please call me Nobby for short, if you want.
Let me introduce myself. I was born in Hayama, a beach resort area, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo. And I’m now living in Saginuma, Kawasaki city.
When I was a university student, I had the opportunities of doing a home stay with a family In U.S.A., Australia, and England, as a youth exchange student.
After graduation from the university, I started working at American Life Insurance Company, Japan (Alico, Japan), which is a group member company of AIG, now MetLife Insurance Company. I could have a chance to visit the head office and the field offices of U.S.A., Wilmington in Delaware, New York, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Los Angeles, while I was working for Alico, Japan (Now, MetLife Insurance company).
I had been working for MetLife Insurance Company for about 38 years, in total.
After retiring from the life insurance company, I started working as a tour guide, because I wanted to become a tour guide to introduce culture, history, and manners and customs of Japan in English. It’s so different between my previous job and the guide business, but I like guide business a lot.
I can meet so many people from all over the world and the guide business has been thriving after the pandemic.
I have implemented the tour over 240 times, introduced Japan to more than 4300 tourists from 53 countries.
Not only Tokyo, but I have experienced touring around Nikko, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji & Hakone area, Takayama, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima, etc. which are all very famous as a tourist spot in Japan.
If you go on a tour in Tokyo, you must see and visit Asakusa Sensoji Temple which is the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo with histories and Nakamise Shopping Street where you can buy the souvenirs and try to taste Japanese sweets, such as doll cake which is the sponge cake in various shapes filled with red bean paste and Japanese powdered tea ice cream. Another my recommendation in Tokyo to visit is Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya. Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest shrines in Japan with quiet and peaceful atmosphere and magnificent site.
Harajuku and Shibuya are both fun to visit for shopping and experience the Shibuya Crossing.
I usually propose my tentative itinerary and ask if my plan is all right with the customer or not. My hobby is traveling around Japan and foreign countries and going to the gym for exercise.
I would like to work as a guide as long as possible if I’m in good health and my legs are strong, because I love this job.
I put my importance on the mind of OMOTENASHI which means sincere hospitality, though safety during the tour takes precedence, number one priority, before anything else.
I’m very looking forward to seeing you and touring with you in Japan soon.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Nobuo Kokure (Nobby)
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
- 10:30 Guide (Kogure) arrives at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
- 10:55 Meet the guests in the hotel lobby
- 11:00 Depart Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, walk toward Shinjuku Station
- 11:10 Arrive at Shinjuku Station East Exit, guests purchase PASMO cards
- 11:20 Depart Shinjuku Station, head to Kanda Station via JR Chuo Line Rapid
- 11:31 Arrive at Kanda Station, transfer to the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
- 11:39 Depart Kanda Station, head to Asakusa Station via the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
- 11:50 Arrive at Asakusa Station, walk toward the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
- 11:55–12:05 Guide the observation deck on the 8F of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
- 12:05–12:45 Guide Senso-ji Kaminarimon, Nakamise-dori, Hozomon, the five-story pagoda, the giant straw sandal, omikuji, the incense burner, the purification fountain, the main hall, and Asakusa Shrine
- 13:00–13:50 Lunch at Matsunami Steakhouse in Asakusa (steakhouse reserved in advance at the guests' request)
- 14:08 Depart Asakusa Station, head to Shibuya Station via the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
- 14:42 Arrive at Shibuya Station
- 14:45–15:05 Guide Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko
- 15:09 Depart Shibuya Station, head to Harajuku Station via the JR Yamanote Line
- 15:11 Arrive at Harajuku Station, walk toward Meiji Jingu
- 15:15–16:30 Guide Meiji Jingu (the first torii, sake barrels, the second torii, waka poetry, the purification fountain, the main hall, the married couple trees, ema, restroom break, etc.)
- 16:35 Depart Meiji Jingu, walk toward Takeshita-dori
- 16:40 Arrive at the entrance of Harajuku Takeshita-dori (photo)
- 16:45 Depart Harajuku Station, head to Shinjuku Station via the JR Yamanote Line
- 16:51 Arrive at Shinjuku Station, after guests recharge their PASMO, walk toward the hotel
- 17:00 Arrive at the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku lobby, greet the guests and end the tour

Title: What's a Private One-Day Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Shibuya, and Meiji Shrine
The guests, who arrived in Japan yesterday from Oceania, thoroughly enjoyed today's tour. I had exchanged emails with the guests in advance, and since they wanted to eat steak in Tokyo, after guiding them through Senso-ji Temple today, I took them to a steak house, and they were very pleased. They said Japanese beef was tender and delicious. They took many photos at each place we visited today. At Senso-ji Temple, they enjoyed drawing omikuji fortunes, and at Meiji Shrine they purchased many omamori charms as souvenirs for family and friends. They also learned about the differences between temples and shrines, as well as the proper way to worship at each. On the other hand, one of the guests loves beer, so I gave them a brochure for a beer garden venue that we could not visit today (I had scouted it in advance) and explained how to get there.
After the tour ended, I asked the guests which of the places we visited today — Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Nakamise Street, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, and the entrance of Takeshita Street — they liked best. One of the guests said everything was wonderful, while another remarked that the view of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing seen from the second floor of Shibuya Station was especially impressive because of the crowds of people.
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 | Train | Shinjuku~Kanda (Tokyo) | 210JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Kanda (Tokyo)~Asakusa | 180JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Asakusa~Shibuya | 260JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Shibuya~Harajuku | 160JPY |
| Section 5 | Train | Harajuku~Shinjuku | 160JPY |
| Total | 970JPY | ||
Hello and how do you do?
My name is Nobuo Kokure, and please call me Nobby for short, if you want.
Let me introduce myself. I was born in Hayama, a beach resort area, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo. And I’m now living in Saginuma, Kawasaki city.
When I was a university student, I had the opportunities of doing a home stay with a family In U.S.A., Australia, and England, as a youth exchange student.
After graduation from the university, I started working at American Life Insurance Company, Japan (Alico, Japan), which is a group member company of AIG, now MetLife Insurance Company. I could have a chance to visit the head office and the field offices of U.S.A., Wilmington in Delaware, New York, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Los Angeles, while I was working for Alico, Japan (Now, MetLife Insurance company).
I had been working for MetLife Insurance Company for about 38 years, in total.
After retiring from the life insurance company, I started working as a tour guide, because I wanted to become a tour guide to introduce culture, history, and manners and customs of Japan in English. It’s so different between my previous job and the guide business, but I like guide business a lot.
I can meet so many people from all over the world and the guide business has been thriving after the pandemic.
I have implemented the tour over 240 times, introduced Japan to more than 4300 tourists from 53 countries.
Not only Tokyo, but I have experienced touring around Nikko, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji & Hakone area, Takayama, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima, etc. which are all very famous as a tourist spot in Japan.
If you go on a tour in Tokyo, you must see and visit Asakusa Sensoji Temple which is the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo with histories and Nakamise Shopping Street where you can buy the souvenirs and try to taste Japanese sweets, such as doll cake which is the sponge cake in various shapes filled with red bean paste and Japanese powdered tea ice cream. Another my recommendation in Tokyo to visit is Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya. Meiji Shrine is one of the biggest shrines in Japan with quiet and peaceful atmosphere and magnificent site.
Harajuku and Shibuya are both fun to visit for shopping and experience the Shibuya Crossing.
I usually propose my tentative itinerary and ask if my plan is all right with the customer or not. My hobby is traveling around Japan and foreign countries and going to the gym for exercise.
I would like to work as a guide as long as possible if I’m in good health and my legs are strong, because I love this job.
I put my importance on the mind of OMOTENASHI which means sincere hospitality, though safety during the tour takes precedence, number one priority, before anything else.
I’m very looking forward to seeing you and touring with you in Japan soon.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Nobuo Kokure (Nobby)
Jul 20, 2026
JEFF_D
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Tokyo In A Day Tour with Nobuo
The excursion…
Jul 20, 2026
JEFF_D
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Tokyo In A Day Tour with Nobuo
The excursion was excellent! It was a great way to introduce us to the many amenities of Tokyo. It was so helpful to have our excellent guide, Nobuo. This guy was great! He communicated with us in the weeks leading up to the tour to find out what we wanted to see. Then, he formulated a plan to see as many of those items as possible within our allotted time. He made it a priority to utilize our time together that suited us best. When we met up, we knew what we were doing and we were ready to go. Nobuo made it very easy for us to find him at our meeting point. Nobuo’s generosity, knowledge, sense of humor and trivia (of which I got 100%!) made our time together unforgettable. It was hard to say goodbye. We will always have a friend in Japan. I would highly recommend Nobuo as your tour guide, if he is available.
Apr 18, 2026
Traveler10250323486
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a great day with a Japanese guide who seemed like…
Apr 18, 2026
Traveler10250323486
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a great day with a Japanese guide who seemed like an old friend.
Nobby (Nobuo) was prepared, showing up early and had copies to give us of the railway lines and phrases that we will use on the rest of our trip. He was very knowledgeable and felt like family very quickly. We changed some things on the fly and he didn’t skip a beat. He took us to shrines and a temple and showed us customs to respect the culture. He took us to a restaurant for lunch, where we had the best noodles we’ve ever eaten. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with him and highly recommend taking a tour with him.
Sep 23, 2025
johnsL7185LE
Brilliant family day trip with Nobuo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nobuo Kokure is a wonderful guide.…
Sep 23, 2025
johnsL7185LE
Brilliant family day trip with Nobuo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nobuo Kokure is a wonderful guide. Very friendly, informative, kind, respectful and an all round great guy. Was very flexible with our itinerary, allowing us to change our plans on the day because one of our children wanted to go to a Hello Kitty shop, and the other to the One Piece shop. He graciously took it all in his stride. He also pre booked one of the best restaurants at the fish market because we all love sushi, and it didn’t disappoint. The whole family think Nobuo was fantastic. Couldn’t recommend him more. Thank you Nobuo.
Aug 4, 2025
leslie_w
Nobby was an awesome tour…
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nobby was an awesome tour guide. Very…
Aug 4, 2025
leslie_w
Nobby was an awesome tour…
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Nobby was an awesome tour guide. Very informative and considerate, we saw a lot in six
hours in a very hot day. Highly recommend!
