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
- 9:00 Hotel – Shinjuku Station – Tsukiji Station
- 9:40 Tsukiji Market – Tsukiji – Otemachi
- 11:00 Imperial Palace East Gardens – Otemachi Station
- 12:30 Meiji Jingumae Station – Meiji Shrine
- 13:30 Lunch at Meiji Shrine Food Court – Harajuku
- 14:40 Shibuya Station – 15:00 Disband at the Mario Kart meeting spot
Tour Itinerary in Detail
From there the group visited Hotel – Shinjuku Station – Tsukiji Station at 9:00, Tsukiji Market – Tsukiji – Otemachi at 9:40, Imperial Palace East Gardens – Otemachi Station at 11:00 and Meiji Jingumae Station – Meiji Shrine at 12:30.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Shinjuku to Tsukiji by subway (209JPY); Tsukiji to Otemachi by subway (178JPY); Otemachi to Meiji Shrine by subway (209JPY). Across 3 sections the fare came to 596JPY per person.
Can You Do a Private One-Day Tour of Tokyo Covering Tsukiji, the Imperial Palace, and Shibuya? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a group visiting from North America. The tour was arranged according to their requested destinations, which were Tsukiji, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, and Meiji Shrine, with a request to drop them off at a go-kart activity in Shibuya by 3:00. Since the itinerary was quite full, I focused on keeping to the schedule and skipped some of the detours I would usually include, in order to stay on time. Because we had exchanged messages several times before the tour, such as confirming the sushi restaurant reservation and moving the tour start time one hour earlier, the guests expressed their gratitude, and I truly realized the importance of preparation before a tour.
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 | Shinjuku～Tsukiji | 209JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Tsukiji～Otemachi | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Subway | Otemachi～Meiji Shrine | 209JPY |
| Total | 596JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited Hotel – Shinjuku Station – Tsukiji Station, Tsukiji Market – Tsukiji – Otemachi, Imperial Palace East Gardens – Otemachi Station and Meiji Jingumae Station – Meiji Shrine.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 596JPY per person across 3 sections. Transport fares are paid by the guests and are not included in the guiding fee.
Is the guide licensed, and what language is the tour in?
Kyoko is a government-licensed national guide-interpreter of Japan and guided this tour in English. Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.) works with more than 1,000 licensed guides across all 47 prefectures. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Can the itinerary be changed for my own trip?
Yes. This report describes one private tour as it actually ran. Every Tokyo itinerary is built around the guests, so the places, the pace and the starting point can all be changed before the tour.
Hello! I am Kyoko who has been working as a guide since 2017. I was born in Kyoto. So, my name comes from Kyoto which is Japan’s beautiful ancient capital . And “ko” literally means child in Japanese. Thus, my name Kyoko means Kyoto’s child, Kyoko. But some guests call me Kyoto. It’s okay, not a big problem.
But to say the truth, I feel like this, ” Am I like an ancient person? No way~!!…” I am mainly guiding in and around Tokyo. Tokyo has two faces of well-advanced and old-fashioned. So, you can enjoy both high-tech technology and historical culture plus delicious food and drinks,too. You will surely be inspired in this city with me. Anyway, looking forward to meeting you in the near future. Thank you in advance!
Sep 9, 2025
salanicolas
Superb Tokyo guide
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Kyoko was great! Super knowledgeable, a lot of fun,…
Sep 9, 2025
salanicolas
Superb Tokyo guide
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Kyoko was great! Super knowledgeable, a lot of fun, and very friendly. She was a great guide
to Tokyo and Japanese culture
Jun 19, 2025
josephk547
A definite must-do when visiting Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Walking Tour with Government-Licensed Guide (Tokyo DEP.)
Absolutely amazing tour…
Jun 19, 2025
josephk547
A definite must-do when visiting Tokyo!
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Walking Tour with Government-Licensed Guide (Tokyo DEP.)
Absolutely amazing tour in Nikko. We wanted to see something other than the city, someplace rich with history. Nikko did not disappoint. The architecture was breathtaking. Kyoko, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable regarding the shrine and the entire historical site. What a great experience! I highly recommend the Nikko tour along with our guide, Kyoko.
May 24, 2025
sandrashachar
Terrific Tokyo Tour!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a fantastic tour of the Asakusa Shrine,…
May 24, 2025
sandrashachar
Terrific Tokyo Tour!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a fantastic tour of the Asakusa Shrine, Imperial Palace and Nezu neighborhood in
Tokyo with our guide Kyoko! She was very personable and knowledgeable and tailored the
tour to our interests. We highly recommend any tour with her!
May 22, 2025
andywP8147WV
Private Guided Tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our wonderful guide Kyoko prepared an excellent…
May 22, 2025
andywP8147WV
Private Guided Tour in Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our wonderful guide Kyoko prepared an excellent tour for my family and me.
I had given Kyoko some rough ideas of the sorts of things that we might like to see but left her to use he expertise to show us what she thought was best.
We certainly were not disappointed. We loved everything on our itinerary. Kyoko had a lot of interesting knowledge to share and her English was perfect.
Kyoko was also very caring towards my parents, who have some mobility issues.
At the end of the tour Kyoko made sure that we got to the correct underground platform.
I would highly recommend