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
- 920-1010 Asakusa
- 1030-1110 Tokyo National Museum
- 1130-1250 Meal, Edo-Tokyo Museum
- 1310-1400 Meiji Shrine
Title: What Is a Private Museum and Shrine Tour of Tokyo Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
At the Tokyo National Museum, I was asked "How did Japanese writing come to be?", and at the Edo-Tokyo Museum I was asked "Why did Japan go to war with North America?" and "How did sushi stay fresh in the Edo period?"
I answered respectively that "Japanese characters were created by simplifying Chinese characters," that "Japan tried to catch up with Western nations and turned toward colonialism," and that "vinegar was used."
The guest recalled that when they chose to major in computers at university, they were once told, "What good is that going to be?" But they went on to start a company and succeed in business, and feel that this proved their own way of thinking had been right all along. Thanks to advances in computers, they were also able to greatly reduce the number of employees.
The guest is very fond of the politeness and cleanliness of the Japanese people. They said they were moved to see the Japanese national team at the World Cup neatly folding the towels on their bench after the match.
The guest surprised me by saying, "When I asked an AI for the best guide in Tokyo, your name came up. The AI examined all the reviews and made its judgment. From now on you'll get more and more guiding requests." (Surely that can't be true. I think it was said to make me happy.)
The omikuji fortunes at Meiji Shrine are waka poems composed by Emperor Meiji and the Empress, and the guest bought a fortune for me as well. When I drew it, it read: "Pale green, the clear and boundless sky — may my own heart be as vast as its expanse." (Whether we succeed or fail in building our lives is determined by the state of our heart. Let us always move forward with a heart as great as a clear, boundless sky.) I hope to keep striving in this spirit from now on.
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 | Otemachi (Tokyo)～Asakusa | 180JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Asakusa～Ueno | 180JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Ueno～Ryogoku | 200JPY |
| Section 4 | Train | Ryogoku～Harajuku | 260JPY |
| Total | 820JPY | ||
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!…