Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Sam

February, 2025

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

1. 08:50 Meet up@Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Station
2. 09:00 Travel∶Train
3. 09:40 Stay@Meiji Shrine
4. 10:25 Travel∶Train
5. 10:35 Stay@Shibuya Scramble Crossing
6. 10:55 Travel∶Train
7. 11:20 Stay@Marunouchi, Imperial Palace East Gardens
8. 12:45 Travel∶Subway
9. 13:15 Lunch@KOMEDA is □
10. 14:10 Travel∶Subway
11. 14:35 Stay@Asakusa
12. 15:15 Travel∶Subway, Train
13. 15:45 Disband@JR Tokyo Station

What's a Full-Day Private Tokyo Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Meiji Shrine, Shibuya, and Asakusa

The guests were a group from North America. Since their hotel was close to Tokyo Station, we mainly used JR trains to get around.

We visited Meiji Shrine, the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, and Asakusa — all classic sightseeing spots. Since the guests did very little shopping and the first half of the day went smoothly, we also stopped by Marunouchi before visiting the East Gardens. I had been told that some of the guests avoided animal products, so at lunchtime I took them to a plant-based cafe in East Ginza, but it was unexpectedly crowded. The situation seems to differ between weekdays and weekends, and I will keep this in mind for future reference.

Because the wait at the cafe took longer than expected, I kept the visit to Asakusa focused mainly on Nakamise Street. I had heard that the guests would be heading to Ise Grand Shrine after the tour, so at the end I took them to the Shinkansen ticket counter at Tokyo Station before we parted ways.

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	Tokyo Station～Harajuku Station	210JPY
Section 2	Train	Harajuku Station～Shibuya Station	150JPY
Section 3	Train	Shibuya Station～Tokyo Station	210JPY
Section 4	Subway	Otemachi Station～Higashi-ginza Station	180JPY
Section 5	Subway	Higashi-ginza Station～Asakusa Station	220JPY
Section 6	Subway	Asakusa Station～Ueno Station	180JPY
Section 7	Train	Ueno Station～Tokyo Station	170JPY
Total			1,320JPY

Tour Report by Sam

Hi. My name is Masafumi Miyazaki. Please call me “Sam”. I am a government-licensed guide.
I was born in Tokyo and was raised in the suburbs of Tokyo called Tama area. When I was in university, I majored in western dramas, so I am good at playing like an actor.
I like reading, listening to the music, and walking. I belong to several walking clubs, and sometimes I guide the members around Tokyo.
One of my strengths as a guide is that I know well about kombu, Japanese kelps. In December every year, I work at a traditional kombu shop in Tsukiji Fish Market. At that shop, I learned a lot of things related to kombu or other ingredients for washoku. I can explain the different characteristics of them to you.
Also, I am familiar with Japanese flowers and plants. If you stroll around a Japanese garden with me, I am sure you will be able to enjoy beautiful flowers and unique plants in every season.
I look forward to meeting you. Thank you.

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