Tsukiji Local Food & Culture Half-Day Tour — Guide Lance
November, 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. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- Tsukiji: 820～1000
- Nippori～Nezu: 1020～1220
Title: What Is a Private Walking Tour of Tsukiji, Yanaka, and Nezu Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
The guests were visitors from Europe. We arranged to meet at Tsukiji Shijo Station, but there was a 20-minute delay because one of the guests had left a wallet at the hotel and went back to retrieve it. Since we could stay in touch through a messaging app, everything worked out fine.
At Tsukiji Market, the guests purchased grilled wagyu skewers and salmon sashimi. At a greengrocer, one of the guests asked, "Why is Japanese salad the same as in the West?" and I answered, "Before the Meiji era, Japan did not have a custom of eating vegetables raw."
At Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, we happened to encounter a funeral, and one of the guests said, "I saw temples in Kyoto and Nara, but this is the first funeral I've seen. It was a valuable opportunity." When asked, "Which religion do you believe in?", I explained, "Japanese people make their first shrine visit of the year at Shinto shrines, hold weddings at churches, and hold funerals at temples. We use religions conveniently for different purposes, and we don't think much about which religion we belong to."
In Yanaka, we visited the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, and one of the guests said, "From the outside I didn't think it was that big, but I was surprised how spacious it was inside. It was wonderful." At the "Warakichi" hand-puppet theater, there was already a puppet of the current prime minister on display. One of the guests knew about this, saying, "That's the person who came to work at 3 a.m. and troubled the bureaucrats, right?"
As we walked, I mentioned that I had once worked in the import of feed ingredients, and one of the guests asked, "How is the feed industry responding to global warming?" I answered, "It is difficult to address that through feed."
One of the guests asked, "There were many fires since the Edo period, so why weren't houses built of stone?" I answered, "Because there are many forests, wood was cheaper." Later I researched further and added, "First, wood is less likely to collapse in earthquakes than stone. Second, because of the high humidity, stone houses would be unbearable in summer."
At Nezu Shrine, one of the guests said, "Japanese people seem to enjoy making all sorts of wishes with amulets and ema plaques." I replied, "In Japan there is even a proverb, 'People turn to the gods in times of trouble.'" Finally, at a traditional scrubbing-brush shop in Nezu, the guests purchased a body-scrubbing brush and a Christmas tree made from the same brushes.
Click here for more details: Tsukiji Local Food & Culture Half-Day Tour, Licensed Guide
Transportation cost per person
| No. | Transportation | Route | Fare |
| Section 1 | Subway | Tsukiji～Ueno | 180JPY |
| Section 2 | Train | Ueno～Nippori | 150JPY |
| Total | 330JPY | ||
I have been working as a tour guide once a week since the autumein 2024. I got 5 star ratings from 32 individuals or groups succesively.
Previously, I have been working with grain business for 43 years. I was sent to a subsidiary office in New Orleans for three years.
I love Japanese history, culture and nature and want as many viaitors as possible to know the good and beautiful things about Japan. There’s a Zen teaching that I hold dear. That is ‘Ichi-go ichie’, which means ’Treasure every encounter as it may not come again’. Looking forward to see you!
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!…
Jul 1, 2026
Voyager795644
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo private family tour
Our family of 5 (kids age 8, 10,…
Jul 1, 2026
Voyager795644
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tokyo private family tour
Our family of 5 (kids age 8, 10, 12) had a fantastic experience with Lance as a tour guide on our full day Tokyo tour. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very flexible with kids on the trip. We highly recommend him!
Jun 26, 2026
Leslie_B
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Market, temples, Nature, and a great guide
This tour is amazing and…
Jun 26, 2026
Leslie_B
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Market, temples, Nature, and a great guide
This tour is amazing and Lance was such a great guide. my mother is handicapped and Lance researched the best ways to use the train stations always found us an elevator or ramp. He knew so much about the Japanese culture and history. His English was very strong and easily understood. The temples and markets were beautiful. Two things that really made Lance stand out as a great guide was when we went to the offering area at one of the temples Lance didn’t want us to miss out because we didn’t have a coin so he provided on for each of us. The second thing was I asked a question that he wasn’t sure the answer to, but after the tour I was surprised to see a message from Lance answering my question. He did not gain anything from this I had already paid and tipped him it really just reflected how amazing and dedicated to his job Lance was.thank you Lance for making our tour of Japan so special.
Jun 17, 2026
JKing275
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tour of Tokyo
Our guide, Lance was exceptional! He immediately contacted me…
Jun 17, 2026
JKing275
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Tour of Tokyo
Our guide, Lance was exceptional! He immediately contacted me after I booked, guiding me through the options. Several days before the tour, rain was in the forecast. Lance revised our options to include mostly indoor tours. He also requested our likes and dislikes prior to picking a lunch spot.
Lance was very knowledgeable about Japan’s history. We appreciated his explanations at each tour site. Descriptions were a nice overview without being overly detailed. Lance’s organization and timing for each stop was spot on and his English was excellent.
It was a pleasure to spend the day with Lance. He epitomized the Japanese culture with his calmness, true kindness and respect for all!