Tokyo in One Day: Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station — Guide Nobby

September, 2026

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

  • 10:30 Guide (Kogure) arrives at the hotel
  • 11:00 Meet the guests in the hotel lobby
  • 11:05 Depart the hotel, walk to Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station
  • 11:10 Arrive at Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station
  • 11:13 Depart Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station, head to Akasaka-mitsuke Station on the Marunouchi Subway Line
  • 11:20 Depart Akasaka-mitsuke Station, head to Asakusa Station on the Ginza Subway Line
  • 11:45 Arrive at Asakusa Station, walk to the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
  • 11:50–11:55 Guide the 8F observation deck of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
  • 11:55–12:50 Guide Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street
  • *Guide the Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise Street, Hozomon Gate, Five-story Pagoda, Owaraji (giant sandals), omikuji (fortunes), incense burner, purification fountain, main hall, and Asakusa Shrine
  • 12:50–13:30 Lunch in Asakusa (udon, tempura)
  • 13:43 Depart Asakusa Station, head to Shibuya Station on the Ginza Subway Line
  • 14:16 Arrive at Shibuya Station, transfer to the JR Yamanote Line
  • 14:26 Depart Shibuya Station, head to Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line
  • 14:28 Arrive at Harajuku Station, walk to Meiji Shrine
  • 14:35–15:15 Guide Meiji Shrine
  • *Guide the First Torii Gate, sake barrels, Second Torii Gate, waka poetry, purification fountain, the couple's trees, ema (votive tablets), main hall, etc.
  • 15:15 Depart Meiji Shrine, walk to Harajuku Takeshita Street
  • 15:20–15:55 Guide Harajuku Takeshita Street (including a tea break)
  • 16:03 Depart Harajuku Station, head to Shibuya Station on the JR Yamanote Line
  • 16:05 Arrive at Shibuya Station
  • 16:10–16:55 Guide Shibuya Hachiko, the Scramble Crossing, the Shibuya Station 2F observation area, and Miyashita Park
  • 17:00 Say goodbye to the guests and part ways at Shibuya Miyashita Park

Title: What Is a Rainy-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Asakusa, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya

The guests, visiting Japan for the first time from Europe, enjoyed today's tour despite the long journey and heavy rain from the morning. At Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, they took many photos. They also drew omikuji fortunes for the first time in their lives and had a lot of fun with it. Because certain meats were not an option for them for religious reasons, they happily enjoyed a warm bowl of udon with ginger in Asakusa. At Meiji Shrine, even in the rain, they took many photos of the sake barrels and the torii gates. They perfectly mastered the difference between temples and shrines, the respective ways of worship, and how to pass through a torii gate. At Takeshita Street in Harajuku they took photos as well, and were surprised to see so many people out and about on a rainy Sunday.

In Shibuya, they took many photos at the Hachiko statue and the scramble crossing. They will be doing three days of Tokyo sightseeing starting tomorrow, so in addition to the places they had already booked themselves (such as an art museum and their accommodation), I shared other sightseeing spots and how to get to them. We were able to have an enjoyable conversation, including personal topics, about the cultural and climate differences between Japan and their home region, as well as food culture. After Tokyo, they plan to visit Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, and Okinawa. I had been worried about the rain, but even while getting thoroughly soaked, they seemed to greatly enjoy this first day of their tour in Japan.

A notable stop on the tour was Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, and it is surrounded by a vast forest of around 100,000 trees donated from all over Japan. Visitors pass through large wooden torii gates on the approach to the main shrine buildings, and the rows of sake barrels and wine barrels along the path are a well-known sight that reflects offerings made to the shrine.

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

Transportation cost per person

No.TransportationRouteFare
Section 1SubwayShinjuku-gyoemmae～Asakusa260JPY
Section 2SubwayAsakusa～Shibuya260JPY
Section 3TrainShibuya～Harajuku160JPY
Section 4TrainHarajuku～Shibuya160JPY
Total840JPY

Tour Report by Nobby

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)

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