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
- 5:00 Meeting place: MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection
- 5:00 MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection
- (2 taxis)
- 5:15 Toyosu Market entrance
- Toyosu Market Seafood Wholesale Building
- (Tuna auction viewing)
- Seafood Intermediate Wholesale Building
- 6:30 Depart Shijo-mae Station
- (Yurikamome)
- Toyosu Station
- (Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line)
- Tsukishima Station
- (Toei Subway Oedo Line)
- 7:00 Arrive Tsukiji Shijo Station
- Tsukiji Tsukiji Outer Market
- Breakfast: Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan
- 8:00 Depart Tsukiji Shijo Station
- (Toei Subway Oedo Line)
- Daimon Station
- 8:30 Disband: Daimon Station
Tour Itinerary in Detail
This private tour of Tokyo began at 5:00, when the guide met the guests at MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection, and finished at 8:30. The day ran to 3 hours and 30 minutes from start to finish.
From there the group visited MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection at 5:00, Toyosu Market entrance at 5:15, Shijo-mae Station at 6:30 and Tsukiji Shijo Station at 7:00.
Travel between the sites was by public transport: Shijo-mae Station to Toyosu Station (189JPY); Toyosu Station to Tsukishima Station by subway (178JPY); Tsukishima Station to Tsukiji Shijo Station by train (178JPY); Tsukiji Shijo Station to Daimon Station by subway (178JPY). Across 4 sections the fare came to 723JPY per person.
Early Morning Toyosu Fish Market and Tsukiji Outer Market Private Tour in Tokyo: A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were a group of visitors from North America. One of the guests had previously visited Japan for work seven years ago, while all the others were visiting Japan for the first time. They are all colleagues in the real estate business who occasionally gather to enjoy overseas travel together.
They arrived in Japan in November, staying only in Tokyo, and planned to return home the day after next. So far, they had strolled through Ginza, Roppongi, and Asakusa, and today they planned to visit teamLab afterward.
At 5:10am, we arrived at the south side of the main entrance of Toyosu Market.
First, we went to the Fisheries Wholesale Market Building. They watched the tuna auction with great interest.
I explained "the history of Tokyo's fish markets," "the differences between Toyosu Market and the Tsukiji Outer Market," and "the differences between the wholesale market and the intermediate wholesale market."
There were questions such as "Where is the tuna caught?", "Is all the tuna from around the world sent to Toyosu Market?", "When are the market's holidays?", "What kinds of tuna are there, and which tuna is the most expensive?", and "How many are auctioned per day?"
There were also questions like "How much does a single tuna cost?" and "Which part of the tuna is the most delicious?"
From the second-floor general observation corridor, the "fresh tuna" auction below could not be seen well. They said, "It's a shame we couldn't view it from the special observation deck."
After this, we visited the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market Building. There were questions such as "What kind of people come here to make purchases?" and "We'd really like to go inside and look around; is that not allowed?"
We took the Yurikamome and the subway to move to the Tsukiji Outer Market, and slowly walked a full loop through the area. Because it was early morning, none of the shops were open yet.
We looked around the various shops here and there, and they sampled "roasted soybeans" and "dried squid," and bought large quantities.
They said, "We'd like to eat sushi here for breakfast," so we went to a restaurant.
There was also a comment: "The streets are so clean. There's no litter on the ground."
There were also comments and questions such as "We don't see any homeless people," and "There are no trash cans anywhere in the streets. Why is that?"
They also said, "We really want to buy kitchen knives, so please tell us how to get to Kappabashi Kitchenware Street."
They said they wanted to return to their accommodation once, so I saw them off at Daimon Station, where we parted ways.
Click here for more details: Toyosu Tuna Auction & Tsukiji Local Food Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Other | Shijo-mae Station～Toyosu Station | 189JPY |
| Section 2 | Subway | Toyosu Station～Tsukishima Station | 178JPY |
| Section 3 | Train | Tsukishima Station～Tsukiji Shijo Station | 178JPY |
| Section 4 | Subway | Tsukiji Shijo Station～Daimon Station | 178JPY |
| Total | 723JPY | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this Tokyo tour start and finish?
The guide met the guests at MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection at 5:00, and the tour finished at : Daimon Station at 8:30.
How long does the tour last?
About 3 hours and 30 minutes in total, from 5:00 to 8:30.
Which places does this itinerary cover?
This tour visited MESM TOKYO – Autograph Collection, Toyosu Market entrance, Shijo-mae Station and Tsukiji Shijo Station.
How much did transport cost on this tour?
Public transport came to 723JPY per person across 4 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?
Masa 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.
Guiding career:
Guide work started in July 2022. A guide focused on FIT compliance.
FY2022 results: 17 cases, FY2023 results: 97
Destinations: Various places in Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikko
As a recent group travel record, in October 2023, we have a track record of guiding a group of 33 people from Singapore to Narita Airport transfer plus sightseeing in Tokyo.
Self-introduction:
In the past, I was stationed in Canada, the United States, and Mexico as an expatriate of a Japanese bank for over 11 years.
Since I have been mainly involved in the financing business in the United States for a long time, I think I am able to provide interpretation and translation services related to business and finance.
I am a certified CPA in the United States.
In addition, for three years from April 2016, I will be engaged in Japanese-English translation work (part-time), and I can also handle translation work.
Although I don’t have a qualification in Spanish, but I think I can handle day to day conversation in Spanish without any problems.
My hobby is trekking and from time to time, take a walk around mountains near Tokyo like Mt. Takao, Tanzawa, etc. I think it is possible to provide tourist information here as well.
Since April 2015, I have been working as a Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Volunteer and Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Volunteer.
One more, I have a separate house near Asuka Village, Nara prefecture, and I stay there for a total of about 30 days every year and have been enjoying sightseeing personally in the vicinity. Therefore, I think in the Kansai region, especially in Nara, Asuka, Yoshino, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo, etc., where I think I will be able to tour guide with confidence.
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and…
Jul 21, 2026
Christelle_G
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour guide
Masa san is extremely knowledgeable and lovely company. My 13-yr-old daughter and I had a great day walking around the sites we had picked with him. He tooks his time to explain all the history and then kindly walked us to the spot of our next booking as it was quite confusing. I would very highly recommend him. Of all the tours we did in Tokyo Masa Sam was my favourite tour guide.
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an…
Jul 1, 2026
97TexAg
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing day in Tokyo
Masa was our tour guide. Masa was an amazing tour guide that communicated extremely well ahead of time about the sites we would like to see in Tokyo, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel, was very friendly and well prepared and finally but most importantly made our day in Tokyo very memorable.
We went to the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Meiji Shinto Temple, imperial Palace, Shinjuku Gyoen National Gatden, and Shibuya Crossing. All were great and amazing suggestions by Masa.
Would highly recommend this tour as it was a private tour guide for a full day and provided discretion on which 5-6 sites you want to see. Also highly recommend our tour guide Masa who was a wealth of knowledge and very friendly and charming.
15/10 would do again.
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our…
Jun 2, 2026
Tagare S
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour and guide!
This is a great tour, and our guide, Masa was really great. Although it was raining, he had no
hesitations in completing his tour and showing us great places around Tokyo. If you are still
on the fence about this, please don’t, you won’t regret it. Thank you, Masa!
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was…
Jun 1, 2026
Lisa_A
Viator review: Private Tokyo Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Adler Family Tour
Our tour with Masa was incredible and filled with interesting facts and history, he gave us incredible insight on each location. We loved that we were able to choose 3-4 sites from a large selection and really spend enough time at each spot. Masa was kind and knowledgable and even helped us with a restaurant reservation for later in the evening when were unable to find one.